


Thunder Over Musutafu

by JoeHundredaire



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Adventure, Asgardian Culture (Marvel), BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Female Bakugou Katsuki, Multi, Polyamory, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Romance, The Avengers are part of Quirk and Heroics History, Trans Female Character, Trans Hagakure Tooru
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 03:23:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20753546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoeHundredaire/pseuds/JoeHundredaire
Summary: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ******Title:** _Thunder Over Musutafu  
_**Author:** JoeHundredaire  
**Rating:** PG-13/FR15  
**Disclaimer:** With a myriad of writers, artists, and editors, actual rights are a nightmare when you go near a comic book universe. Suffice it to say that Marvel Entertainment LLC owns all of the property printed in their comics, along with the television and movie adaptations of said same property. Compared to that, the ownership of _My Hero Academia_ is relatively simple: the entire thing belongs to Kōhei Horikoshi. Not mine, don't sue, and so forth and so on.  
**Summary:** "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."  
**Joe's Note:** To be honest, given how many stories cross some form of Marvel's intellectual property with _My Hero Academia_ but how few do so without using either Spider-Man/symbiotes or Iron Man, I was initially excited to see _The Almighty Deku_ by burgerkingpolicedepartment vault its way to the top of the latest page. It was definitely interesting but not quite what I was hoping for. Which really sucks because I fucking love Thor. I love Norse mythology. I love Marvel's additions and reinterpretations of classic Norse myths and characters. And so I decided to try my hand at my own story, building off the - relatively - cleaner world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to create a 'Midoriya with Mjölnir' story. There will obviously be similarities between the two in the early chapters, if for no other reason than that there are only so many ways you can tweak canon to put Thor's powers in Izuku's unsteady hands. It will rather quickly go its own way, though, and hopefully be something worth reading overall.  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring my work, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

Not all men are created equal. That inalienable truth had governed Midoriya Izuku's life from an early age. For he was just a simple, normal boy living in a world dominated by the superhuman... a world that he eagerly longed to be a part of but life had decided to cruelly exclude him from.

It had all begun a few years after what society had later coined the "Blip": the use of the Infinity Gauntlet to restore the half of the world's population that had been cruelly disintegrated five years prior in an event known as the "Snap". But when the reality-altering energies of the Infinity Gauntlet had washed over the world a second time... and then a third a short time later, restoring the lost members of the world's population and then wiping the greatest threat to humanity from existence? Something happened. Whether humanity came back different or the energies themselves had somehow changed the population, scientists would never be able to determine with any certainty. But there was something unquestionably different about the world in the aftermath of the Blip.

It began in Qing Qing, China, where a boy was born with the ability to bioluminesce. He was a modern medical marvel, studied by scientists far and wide... until the miraculous happened again a few months later and an infant was discovered who could levitate his own bottles and toys. And then it happened a third time, and a fourth, and then again and again and again, a superhuman generation slowly rising out of the seemingly unremarkable mass of humanity as a whole and reaching their hands toward the sun.

Within a century, eighty percent of the population had what was now known as a Quirk, and the majority of that remaining twenty percent was concentrated heavily in the older generations. The extraordinary became ordinary and what had previously been relegated to dreams and fiction became reality. For with the rise of superhuman abilities came the advent of superhumanly powerful criminals... and superheroes to combat them. SHIELD and the self-proclaimed 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' slowly faded away into obscurity as a new generation of heroes rose to prominence. Laws and regulations were put into place, governing what people could and couldn't do with their newfound powers. Schools began pushing out class after class of fair and just heroes who used their powers to bring an end to the chaos and confusion.

But even as humanity took step after stumbling step into a new era, a once great people settled into an isolated corner of Earth to live out their remaining days in quiet. Tønsberg, Norway became the new home of several hundred Asgardians who survived the Snap. Their numbers doubled in the wake of the Blip but they remained humble, content to allow humanity to chart its own path into the future. Their days of glory had passed, their homeworld was gone, and they were happy to just... exist, integrating as best they could into the strange new world that they found themselves on.

It was into this world that Izuku was born. Diagnosed at the age of four as one of the few remaining 'Quirkless' children in existence, his dreams of being a superhero were cruelly cut down before he even had a chance to try and achieve them. Bullied and belittled by his peers, dismissed and condescended to by adults. For as much as he dreamed of being a hero like his idol All Might, saving one and all with a smile on his face, according to everyone around him... he couldn't.

Until one day when the unexpected intersection of two outliers of Earth's population meant that he could.

* * *

Izuku slowly trudged his way home from Aldera Junior High School, half-heartedly flipping through the charred and water-smudged pages of 'Hero Analysis for the Future Volume 13'. Thankfully Kacchan had damaged but not destroyed his notebook during her tantrum; the thought of losing so many months of hard work and detailed notes made Izuku want to vomit. He had plenty of spare Kukuyo notebooks waiting for him at home, though. It would take some time and effort, but he could transfer everything to a new, dry, unburnt replacement. And then he would finish Volume 13 before continuing on to Volume 14.

And someday, he would use all the notes that he was taking all these years to help himself succeed in his quest to become the Number One hero.

Eyeing the shadowy overpass ahead of him, Izuku paused before taking in his surroundings. Sure it was the fastest way home, but he was in no hurry and it just seemed so... dark and gloomy. Depressing. And so instead of forging on ahead, he decided to try and buoy his already lackluster mood by taking a slightly longer - but sunnier and airier - way home. And so he waited for the light to turn before crossing the street, making his way over to the barely pronounceable Endurfæðing Park.

Technically speaking, the park was an embassy of the Asgardians, the sole sovereign soil they maintained outside of the village limits of Tønsberg. Roughly a city block square, it was relatively simple compared to the parks maintained by Musutafu or other cities nearby: a simple square of grass with a few particularly persistent trees and a small gazebo just to the left of center in the park. And then dead center in the middle of the park was a barren crater, the final resting place of Stormbreaker.

Thanks to his obsessive study of all the heroes fit to print about, both pre-Quirk and current, Izuku knew all about Stormbreaker. The second weapon of the original Thor - and the only weapon wielded by his temporary female successor - Stormbreaker had been forged to replace Mjölnir after Thor's original hammer had been destroyed in a battle with a villain whose name was never made public. Significantly larger than Mjölnir and shaped more like an axe than a hammer, Stormbreaker had a winding, organic-looking handle marred by the blockish Norse runes that had been burnt into the wood. The Asgardians who watched over the site had been kind enough to translate them for the rest of the world, seeing no harm in it.

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

Over a century after its arrival at its final resting place, much of the excitement had faded. The park was always watched over by one of a rotating series of Asgardians; it was seen as a right of passage among the younger generation, according to the teenage boy that Izuku had once worked up the courage to talk to, often times the first trip into the outside world that they'd been allowed to take. Every so often, someone passing through the park would try their luck with lifting Stormbreaker, obviously to no avail. And once a year, people from around the world descended on the park for 'Thor's Day', a festival dedicated to the pre-Quirk 'God of Thunder' and Avenger.

What had happened to Thor? Nobody truly knew.

Why had his hammer fallen to Earth when he vanished so completely? Nobody truly knew.

Why did it land in Musutafu of all places? Nobody truly knew.

Entering the park, Izuku slowly made his way over to where Stormbreaker sat in the center of its landing crater, the nearby gazebo staffed by a teenage girl a few years older than him who kept a watchful eye on the hammer. Izuku had seen her a few times before when cutting through the park on the way home: tall, with long blonde hair, green eyes a few shades lighter than his own, and generous curves. Definitely too pretty to ever give him the time of day if it wasn't required by her job, he recognized. Even her style of dress was utterly unlike what he was used to seeing around the city: a long-sleeved green dress with a wide, cowl-like neck with a golden corset over it and matching golden gauntlets. Looking up from the tablet she had propped up on the podium in front of her, she offered him an insincere smile before greeting him with a bored tone. "Hello. Have you come to try your luck at lifting Thor's hammer?"

Izuku reached up to rub the back of his neck as he blushed, looking from the cute girl to the hammer and back. He could do this, he told himself. She wasn't actually trying to talk to him for personal reasons or anything, it was just like when he talked to shopkeepers or female teachers. "I wasn't intending to; I was just on my way home from school and decided to take a different route for a change of pace. But... I suppose it couldn't hurt anything, could it?"

"That's the spirit!" Somehow she managed to sound both cheerful and bored at the same time, setting down her tablet on the podium in front of her before stepping out of the gazebo. "If you want, I can take a picture with your phone so you can show your friends what you did."

Before Izuku could stop himself, he shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. "That's okay, I don't have any friends." Awkward silence hung in the air for a moment, and then he pulled out his phone anyway. "But, I mean, I guess my mother would enjoy seeing this? I've come by here a few times before and even talked to one of your coworkers but I've never tried lifting the hammer. I'm a Quirkless teenager, it just seemed sorta... fruitless."

Taking his phone, the girl waved dismissively. "That doesn't mean anything as long as you're worthy. After all, Jane Foster was a Quirkless scientist before she took up Stormbreaker and became Thor."

Izuku's went wide. "You knew Jane Foster? I know Asgardians age slower than the rest of us, but... how old are you? Did you know Thor? Loki? Valkyrie? The Avengers?"

"First of all, you never ask a woman her age. Even an Asgardian." The girl stared at him with narrowed eyes until Izuku raised his hands in surrender, blushing fiercely. "Although to answer your other questions... we dated briefly, we're good friends, Brunnhilde and I are rivals of sorts who don't really get along, and unfortunately. Well, unfortunately for the most part. Bruce Banner was agreeable enough company. He reminded me of an old friend from Asgard."

Just as he was recovering from his initial chastisement, the girl's words made Izuku's eyes go wide with wonder again. "You lived on Asgard?!" That put her at easily over two hundred years old! Well, the fact that she knew Loki did as well, given that he hadn't survived to the establishment of the colony at Tønsberg. But wow. To have lived so long... the things she must have seen. The heroics she would have witnessed. Izuku had so many questions.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Yes, and now I live on this mudball, watching people try to lift my former king's hammer to no avail. Speaking of which..." Hefting his phone, she waved it back and forth. "I realize there's not exactly a line, but I would like to get this over with. I was at a particularly fascinating spot in my book."

Oh. Right. That part where she wasn't a friend, she was an employee whose time he was taking up. Caught up in his thoughts, Izuku had almost forgotten about that. Nodding, Izuku made his way over to Stormbreaker before glancing back at the girl, his eyes widening as he found her suspending his phone between two spinning seals of eldritch energy as she gestured with her hands, moving it about to get the best shot. She could do magic? Now he had even more questions! Ah! Wait! Focus! The hammer!

Reaching down, Izuku wrapped both hands around the wooden shaft of Stormbreaker and took a deep breath before pulling. Nothing. He gave a second pull and then a third for good measure before raising his hands in defeat and stepping back. "Oh well. Guess I'm still Quirkless and hammerless. Would have been cool, though, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah. Cool." The girl gestured for Izuku to rest one hand on the base of Stormbreaker, waiting for him to follow her instructions before taking one last picture. Then his phone spun around and floated over to him, hanging there in front of him until he reached up to pluck it out of the air. "Now if you don't mind, I've got two hundred pages left to this book and only an hour until my replacement arrives."

As he tucked his phone back into his pocket, Izuku looked over at the blonde uncertainly. "I mean, if you're off in an hour... can't you finish your book then?"

"Why read on my own time when I can get paid to read?"

She had a point, he supposed.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Joe's Note:** And we're back! Already? Wow, that was fast. Not really; I actually wrote Chapters 1 through 3 as one long piece and then split them at obvious points to form more digestible chapters. That and I prefer shorter, more frequent updates to longer chapters that only come out once in a blue moon. Bit of a shift from when I started writing, but I wasn't holding down a fifty hour a week work habit when I started writing fanfic either. Also, not going to lie but there was one little nugget of character information that I'm really surprised nobody caught and commented on in a review last chapter. Granted it was a matter of spotting literally one word out of twenty-four hundred but still. I figured somebody would have noticed it. Oh well. The jig is up this chapter...  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring my work, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

For the next hour or so, Izuku sat on the grass near the gazebo in Endurfæðing Park drawing first Stormbreaker and then the nameless Asgardian. The former because he'd gotten a lot better at drawing since he was eleven and had last stopped by the park with one of his notebooks in hand. The latter, he rationalized by telling himself that he needed to get better at drawing European features. Especially with Captain Celebrity and other American heroes breaking into the Japanese hero scene.

The fact that she was astonishingly pretty certainly didn't hurt matters any, of course.

Eventually, though, he exhausted all available entertainment in the park and opted to move on, slowly making his way down the sidewalk toward home. Right up until an explosion rent the air, drawing Izuku's attention to where a cloud of smoke was rising from the Tatooin Shopping District. Bursting into a run, Izuku began making his way through the streets expertly, cutting down alleys to get to the fight as fast as possible. What he saw when he arrived shocked him.

It was... some sort of sludge villain. Surrounded by fire, it kept flailing with thick tentacles of greenish-brown goo, somehow managing to keep Death Arms and Kamui Woods at bay. Nearby, Backdraft was doing his best to put out the fires - or at least keep them from spreading - while Mount Lady stood at the mouth of the alley where everything was going down, nervously bouncing from foot to foot as she looked around wildly. There were two other heroes that even Izuku didn't recognize but before he could get excited about his good fortune - two completely new heroes for his notebook! - he caught sight of the source of both the fire and the hero's reticence to make a move.

"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?"

"It looks like they've met their match. Plus the villain captured a kid. Things aren't looking good for the heroes." That caught Izuku's attention. Pushing his way into the crowd a bit, the boy forced himself up onto his toes so he could get a better look. Sure enough, peeking out of the amorphous blob of sludge was a head of spiky blonde hair... and then the blonde turned her head enough for Izuku to catch sight of terrified red eyes.

The sludge villain had a hostage.

That hostage was Katsumi Bakugo.

"Wait, I'm confused. Wasn't that the villain All Might was chasing earlier today?"

"What? All Might? No way he lost. Where is he?"

"Can someone call him or something?"

"Seriously, why hasn't he shown up to help the heroes?"

Someone was going to show up, right? A real hero? Maybe even All Might? Because as much as Katsumi tormented him, bullied him, and degraded his dreams of becoming a hero despite his Quirkless state... Izuku didn't think she deserved to die. Nobody deserved that. Izuku continued to whip his head back and forth, desperately searching for... someone. Anyone. Maybe even that Asgardian girl who could use magic. Asgardians were really strong. And she had to be more powerful than most if she could use magic. Surely she could do something to help, right? The park wasn't that far away. She couldn't be unaware of what was going on.

* * *

Perched on her stool in the gazebo in Endurfæðing Park, Amora Incantare looked up from her tablet with a disgusted groan as smoke began to rise over the city again. Humans were so destructive. And foolish. Undoubtedly some pathetic 'villain' was making trouble again, destroying property as he went about his mediocre dastardly deeds. Humans had no real concept of villainy anymore, she thought derisively. Now Thanos, he was a villain. Surtur was a villain. Helreginn was a villain. Some idiot running around downtown Musutafu destroying things and lighting them on fire? He was - at best - a nuisance. Back in the good old days, a single einherjar would have been enough to capture and detain what now took three or more human 'heroes' to defeat.

Caught up in reminiscing, Amora didn't notice as Stormbreaker began to twitch.

* * *

Finally it dawned on him that nobody was coming. Nobody was going to save Kacchan. And so if she was going to be saved... well then he'd just have to do it himself! His notebook tumbling to the pavement, Izuku jetted forward toward the sludge villain, nimbly dodging between Death Arms and a baseball-themed hero as they tried to restrain his flight. Rushing forward as a cacophony erupted behind him, the heroes and the crowd all shouting at him to stop, Izuku's mind raced as he tried to come up with some sort of plan... any plan... now that he'd gone and involved himself in what was going on.

_'What am I doing?'_

_'Why am I running?'_

_'Why can't I stop?'_

_'What do I do?'_

_'What would a hero do right now?'_

Those questions and more swirled through Izuku's head but he pushed them away as he tried his best to focus on the problem in front of him. Clearly the sludge couldn't be punched into submission, otherwise Death Arms would have been able to free Kacchan. It couldn't be restrained, or else Kamui Woods would have been able to save the day. Backdraft might have been able to do something with his powers - maybe dilute the sludge enough that the villain would be unable to hold his form - but he was focused on the fires and Izuku had no way of imitating what the rescue specialist could do anyway.

Izuku's mind drifted back to the notebook that he'd left laying on the pavement. Even if he wasn't a pro hero with a sensational Quirk to back him up, successful tactics would still remain the same from them to him. What would a pro hero do right now? Well, what about going for the eyes? Getting poked in the eye hurt an awful lot. The same was probably true even for a sludge villain, right?

Swinging his yellow backpack down off his shoulders, Izuku gave a war cry as he spun and launched the bag forward, hurling it with unerring accuracy directly into the villain's right eye. The villain recoiled with a cry of pain, in the process relaxing its grip on Katsumi enough that the blonde could wrench her head free and draw in a deep breath. "Kacchan!"

Now what? The sludge was thin and gooey, and he had the villain distracted. Maybe he could claw through it in specific spots, help Katsumi free one of her hands? If she could get even one hand free, she could press it against the villain's body and blow it straight to hell. That would solve the villain problem nicely, wouldn't it? As Izuku began scrabbling at the thick, viscous slime, Katsumi narrowed her eyes at him. "What the hell? Why are you here?"

"I don't know! My legs... they just started moving!" Izuku continued to claw desperately at the sludge, pulling it away in small handfuls as he tried to burrow his way through to where Katsumi's arm was. Was the sludge getting thinner in that spot? Was it wishful thinking? Izuku had no idea but he had no other plan so he was pretty much stuck just going all out and hoping for the best at this point. "Kacchan, I couldn't just stand there and watch you die!"

Suddenly, Izuku found his body screaming at him and he instinctively reared back, raising his right hand high. Something heavy and wooden slapped against it, and he looked over to see Stormbreaker in his hand. The alley abruptly went silent save for the crackling of the fires started by Katsumi's explosions, even the villain staring at Izuku in silent awe. "What the hell? Is that... Stormbreaker?"

It was! Or was it? Was he just seeing things? Maybe the sludge villain had managed to grab him too and this was all just a hallucination brought on by lack of oxygen. Spinning Stormbreaker around so the axe head was facing the villain, Izuku gave an experimental slash. The gleaming metal head sliced through the villain with ease, making the amorphous sludge blob cry out in pain as a chunk of his body fell away. "I can save you, Kacchan! Look! I'm worthy!"

"Shut up and chop faster!" Katsumi began struggling more aggressively, her hands peppering the villain with explosions as she took advantage of his relaxed hold to try and wrench herself free once and for all. "And don't even think of trying to shoot lighting at this idiot, I'm still inside him!"

Oh! Right! Rearing back, Izuku brought Stormbreaker down again and again, carefully trimming away at the sludge that surrounded Katsumi's writhing body. Finally, Izuku had parred away enough of the villain's body that he could reach out with his free hand, somehow ignoring the constant stream of explosions flowing from Katsumi's palm as he grabbed her hand and yanked her free. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he flexed his legs and launched himself backward away from the villain even as he brought Stormbreaker up high over his head. "Thunder... Smash!"

Lightning pierced down out of a cloudless sky as Izuku swung Stormbreaker forward, the slash guiding the bolts of electricity to their desired destination. Crackling bolts of energy crawled over the alleyway, tearing into what remained of the villain and superheating his body. With a series of pops, he exploded, splattering the steaming remains of his mass across the pavement and walls. And the it was over, and Izuku could breathe.

For all of a second or two. Within seconds, Katsumi was fighting her way free of his grasp and slamming a fist crackling with explosions into the side of his face, sending Izuku stumbling back a few steps until he used Stormbreaker to halt his retreat. "You idiot! You fucking... Deku! Why would you do something like that? Inko-obasan is going to kill you! Besides, I would never ask for a weakling like you to help me!"

A bit high on the twin thrills of defeating a villain on his own and being judged worthy by a powerful magical artifact, Izuku just gave her a bemused grin as he reached up to rub his surprisingly pain-free jaw. "You're welcome."

Before Katsumi could regroup and launch herself at Izuku again, there was a flash of greenish-yellow light and an intricate spell seal appeared around him on the pavement. Leaning forward, Katsumi pushed against the air to find that there was now a barrier between herself and Izuku, one that not even one of her explosions could penetrate. "Are you doing this? Because you might as well just take your lumps like a man, Deku. If I have to wait until later, it's just going to be worse."

Thinking back to when he'd first seen magic of this exact color, Izuku shook his head as he glanced from Katsumi to the spell seal and back. "Can you stop on your way home and let my mother know that I'm alright? I have a feeling it'll be a bit before I get back home."

And then he fell through the spell seal, the smoldering alley disappearing from around him.

Thankfully he didn't fall for long, landing with a grunt on what appeared to be - on quick inspection at least - a rooftop. Well, it had air conditioning units, vents, and some really fat pigeons so... a rooftop was as good a guess as any. Although Izuku quickly realized he had more companions than just the pigeons: the blonde girl from the park was looming over him, a dark-haired girl standing by her side. "So. We meet again."

Planting the wide head of Stormbreaker against the roof, Izuku forced the two girls to lean back as he levered himself up off the shingles. "If I'd known we'd be talking more, I would have gotten your name, gazebo-san." Or probably he would have just blushed and stammered and made a mess out of the entire process of trying to ask a cute girl her name but... semantics.

"He calls you Ms. Gazebo. That's so cute." The dark-haired girl stretched languidly as she raked her eyes up and down over Izuku, before reaching out to grab at one of his arms. He blushed darkly as she started at the wrist near Stormbreaker, gently squeezing as she ran her hand up his arm and then across to rest on his chest. "Thank the Allfather that Thor took care of all of our enemies before his run-in with Galactus. This one feels like he'd blow away in a stiff breeze."

The blonde gave an uncaring shrug at that, making her way over to Izuku's unoccupied side and... curling herself around his body? His blush darkened at that, the world spinning a bit as the blonde brought her head down to rest on his shoulder. Two cute girls were touching him. One cute girl was leaning on him. What was he supposed to do in a situation like this? He didn't even know their names! "Okay, so he doesn't look like much, I'll give you that... but he's evidently worthy. That's goodenough for me."

Taking a step back, the dark-haired girl eyed him speculatively for a moment before letting out a soft snort. "He looks like he's about to faint. You definitely have you work cut out for you with him."

"Can you blame him for being overwhelmed?" The blonde peered up at Izuku for a moment before shooting a glare at her friend. "He just went from a Quirkless nobody to someone with the power of a god. And he's in the presence of two goddesses, at least one of which is going to be his new girlfriend. Probably me. With what little he's told me about himself, I think he'd do terribly with a tsundere like you."

It took a few seconds for those words to fully penetrate Izuku's head... and then he fainted.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Joe's Note:** Am I the only one who thinks Loki is kind of a tsundere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Like literally everything he does that's even remotely positive is to prove himself worthy to Thor, but at the same time he's all like 'it's not like I did it for your approval or anything, baka!' It's actually even worse in the _Thor: Son of Asgard_ series that ran from 2004 to 2005, chronicling the adventures of Thor - and Loki, Sif, and Amora - as a teenager. Then again, given that it's written by Yoshida Akira, I guess I can't say that I'm terribly surprised? Moving right along... it's time to find out more about Izuku's two new intrepid companions, along with more of the background of this world. Where is Thor? What was that about Galactus? Why is Mjölnir in Musutafu? Why are two Asgardian goddesses disguised as teenagers and flirting with everyone's favorite woobie? Read on to find out!  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring my work, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

Blinking his eyes blearily, Izuku slowly came back to awareness to find himself laying on a rooftop for the second time that afternoon. Or at least most of him was resting on the warm shingles. His head and shoulders were resting on something softer and a bit cooler than the black roof. Specifically, the blonde girl's lap.

Izuku shot upright so fast that he would have slammed face first into his ersatz pillow if not for her own heightened reflexes, the blonde leaning back to clear a path for him. Hands gripping at his pants nervously, Izuku looked back and forth between the two girls wildly. "Who are you? Why was I on your lap? And what do you mean, new girlfriend?"

"In order? My name is Amora Incantare, also known as the Enchantress." Also known as the Enchantress, Izuku's mind supplied. Wait. She admitted to it. He was talking to - and previously laying on - an infamous Asgardian... antihero? Occasional villain? Sometimes hero? Amora easily defied the simplistic categorization that dominated the current hero scene, which made sense given that she was many centuries older than it. But holy crap. The Enchantress. Izuku found himself sorely wishing that he had Hero Analysis for the Future Volume 5 with him.

Or had Volume 5 been his Olympian fixation period and he needed Volume 4?

He had an entire volume full of questions for this woman, and said volume wasn't with him now that he had the chance to actually ask them! Oh, the irony!

The corner of Amora's mouth quirked upward as she stared at Izuku. "How about I walk you home when we're done here and once we get there, you can ask me all of the questions you have in whichever volume it is?" Izuku blinked owlishly. How did she know that he... "You're not thinking things, you're mumbling them. It's cute now but it'll probably get annoying fast. I definitely have my work cut out for me. Anyway, your second question was why were you on my lap? Because I'm kind and that roof looked really hard? As for the new girlfriend thing, I figured it'd be self-explanatory. I dated Thor for a bit. Dated Lady Thor for a bit. I want to see if the third time's the charm with Green Thor."

Izuku looked over at Stormbreaker hesitantly, unable to keep his mind from fixating on the entirely wrong part of that pronouncement. "That's not actually going to be my hero name, is it?"

Scoffing, Amora scooted across the rooftop toward him, pressing up against him from behind and looping her arms around his shoulders. Ah! Cute girl! Cute girl was touching him again! "Don't be ridiculous. You'll be Thor, just like Thor and Thor were. The only people who called Jane 'Lady Thor' were misogynists. Most of whom she hit with Stormbreaker. Well, misogynists and Loki. Isn't that right?"

Loki? What? Izuku's head whipped around to stare at the dark-haired tsundere, who had her arms crossed over her chest as she huffed loudly. "She didn't hit me because I called her Lady Thor. She hit me because she hated me. We had a hate-hate relationship going into things when she took up Stormbreaker. Also yes, I'm Loki Laufeyjardóttir. Take a picture. It'll last longer." Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Izuku hesitantly brought it up to frame a good picture of the Asgardian teen glaring down at him and snapped a photo. "...I didn't actually mean you should take a picture of me. Idiot."

Wow. She really was a tsundere.

"Well excuse me for wanting proof that I met someone who's supposed to be dead." Izuku took a second picture and then a third for good measure before finally lowering his phone back to his lap. "Although I think I'd remember if Loki was a really pretty girl my age. Aren't you supposed to be older? And, well, male-r?"

Loki snapped her fingers, green motes of light dancing over her svelte figure as she transformed from a buxom teenage girl into the taller and more severe-looking man that Izuku recognized from his studies of pre-Quirk heroes. The horns made him hard to mistake for anyone else. "When you have powers like Amora and I do, self is... relative." Oh. Well, Loki was supposed to be the trickster god. Being able to shapeshift would make for some pretty awesome tricks, Izuku had to concede. Shifting back into a teenage girl, Loki scoffed softly. "As for the rumors of my death... I got better?"

Blinking owlishly, Izuku tried to figure out how that would work. "How do you get better from death?"

"The Blip."

"And you managed to avoid everyone who knows you other than Amora for the last two hundred years?"

"It's not hard when nobody's looking in the right place."

It took Izuku a few seconds to realize what he meant: who would think that an unassuming teenage girl was really the God of Lies? For that matter, who would think her equally young blonde companion was the infamous Enchantress? They were perfect disguises, hiding in plain sight among the other Asgardians orphaned by the Fall of Asgard and their flight to Earth. Why they were in Japan... well, if they were masquerading as teenagers, they wouldn't be able to avoid the same rite of passage as the genuine teenagers. Hell, given that Amora seemed to have a vested interest in finding Thor's replacement, she'd probably volunteered.

"In the interest of not spending all afternoon sitting on a rooftop, maybe we should move on?" Amora unwound her arms from around Izuku's shoulders, grabbing him under his arms and pulling him upright with her. Holy crap, she was strong. Wait. He had the power of Thor now. Didn't that mean he was just as strong now? Or even stronger? Once they were vertical, Amora immediately insinuated herself at Izuku's right hand, snuggling up against his side as she stared up at him. "Now I'm sure you're wondering... why me? What makes me worthy? To be honest with you? We don't entirely know. Mjölnir was originally enchanted by Odin, and the enchantment was layered onto Stormbreaker by an Odinforce-powered Thor during an... interesting... period in his life. And he always held his own counsel as to the enchantment. So the honest truth is... we're not sure why you either."

Loki cleared her throat softly, eyes darting down to where Stormbreaker sat on the rooftop. "That's not entirely true. We do know that a person has to want to wield it. That's why it hasn't just flown off and found other heroes to work with in the past century."

Reaching down, Izuku curled his fingers around the haft of Stormbreaker, easily lifting it up into the air for a few seconds before setting it back down. "Either that, or more depressingly... nobody was worthy."

"That's... an entirely discomfiting thought, even for someone who dislikes mortals for the most part." Loki pondered that for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Moving right along, if you're as much of a hero otaku as you seem to be..." She trailed off, mouthing the words 'hero otaku' before glaring at Amora. "I called him an otaku instead of a fanboy. All these trips to visit you have infected me. I hope you're happy."

Amora giggled softly before shooting Loki an angelic look. "Considering the last thing that you infected me with took Eir's intervention and six weeks of medication to clear up, I feel like you don't really have a right to complain." Turning her attention back to Izuku, she sobered. "In all seriousness, you could be right. Thor met a lot of heroes in his heyday and out of all of them, only one was worthy to lift Mjölnir."

Humming thoughtfully, Izuku did his best to put Amora's position out of his mind as he let his gaze drift back down to rest on Stormbreaker. "Where... exactly is Thor? Is he going to show up some day and demand his hammer back? Am I going to go back to being Quirkless at some point?"

"Well, it depends. If you survive all the way until the end of this cycle and come out the other side of Ragnarök with Stormbreaker still in your grip... possibly. For now, though? No." Amora's answer made Loki scowl and look away, causing Izuku to look back and forth between the two in confusion. "Thor ran afoul of a cosmic entity named Galactus who devours entire planets to sustain himself. After losing Asgard to Hela and Surtur, he was unwilling to lose his home a second time. With the help of the Third Avengers, he drew Galactus into a confrontation on the moon and fought him to a standstill. Unfortunately, he lost his own life in the process."

Oh. Oh wow. People had theorized that Thor was dead after over a century with no public appearances, but to know as much for a fact was... wow. Izuku curled his hand around Stormbreaker's haft once more, lifting it into the air again so that he could study it more closely. This was the weapon of a god. Of a king. Of a man who had fought a creature that could devour entire worlds. And now it was his. The thought was... intimidating to say the least.

Gently pulling his hand out of Amora's grip, Izuku waited for her to settle back into place with her arms wrapped around his waist before tracing his fingers over the runes carved into Stormbreaker's handle. "So we covered where Thor is. Why I have the hammer, which is to say that nobody really knows but the fact remains that I do. You're here because you have a thing for Thors. Loki's evidently a tsundere, so she's probably here for the same reason but will never admit it. Oh! Here's a question. Why's the hammer here? If Thor died on the moon, shouldn't the hammer be sitting in a lunar crater somewhere?"

"That's actually a really good question, and I just so happen to know the answer." Amora craned her neck, staring up at where the moon was clearly visible between two clouds in the afternoon daylight. "By the time Thor fought Galactus, Jane had already come and gone as Thor. Captain America had wielded Mjölnir. Thor knew that others could take his place... take his power... and so with his dying breath, he hurled the hammer with all his might back toward Earth so that it might find someone worthy of passing his power on to."

Loki nodded in agreement, jerking her thumb in the rough direction of Endurfæðing Park. Which... Izuku could see the edge of from where they were standing, with smoke still curling skyward from a spot on the opposite side of the park. Wow. They'd teleported him a decent distance in a split second. It made him curious about the full extent of their powers. "It's completely coincidental that it landed here in Japan, in your hometown. Various governments tried to move it somewhere safer, or at least somewhere more accessible to more people so we could find the next Thor faster. I'm sure you can guess how that ended up."

Considering that it was impossible to lift Stormbreaker unless one was worthy? Yeah, Izuku could hazard a guess how those attempts had gone. "So now what. I have Stormbreaker and the two of you. Where do I go from here? Apart from maybe home? Okaa-san is going to kill me."

"Well, I did promise to walk you home and answer all the questions in your notebook. And it'll be fun to meet my future mother-in-law." Amora giggled softly as Izuku's heart thudded ominously; he wasn't sure he was ready for any sort of girlfriend, much less someone as carefree and forward as Amora. "After that? We start training you. This isn't without precedent; the two of us were there with Jane as she discovered what it meant to be Thor. If we can help a middle-aged scientist turn herself into a hero, we can do the same for a teenage otaku who actually wants to be a hero."

Nodding agreeably again, Loki made her way over to the edge of the rooftop and gestured down at the cityscape below her. "Besides, your foolish mortal society has practically turned heroism into an industry these days. There's got to be somewhere you can go to learn how to fight and get stronger. Or failing that, there's got to be someone willing to train a budding Asgardian in the same. Because you will. Get stronger, that is. Jane got an immediate strength boost when she took up Stormbreaker, but as she got herself into even better shape, her power only increased."

Izuku looked down at his hands in wonder. Today, he'd stopped a villain without even really knowing what he was doing. If he could grow into this power... grow stronger and more capable through training and honing his abilities... what could he do tomorrow?

Or the day after?


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Joe's Note:** Originally the entirety of this chapter would have been covered over the span of three or four paragraphs in what's now Chapter 5... but then I realized I was falling into the trap of telling instead of showing, which is easy to do when writing a new and active fandom where everybody knows EXACTLY how things unfold in canon. At that point, why bother taking up the time and space exploring something yourself? Well, when you decide to wander off the beaten path a bit... because nobody else is going to show it. So instead of Amora's first trip to the Midoriya household being a passing mention in another chapter, it's going to get the entire chapter that it deserves. Mostly because it opens up a lot of great opportunities for world-building and exposition. After all, Izuku has an entire notebook about the Asgardians and a willing source of information. He's got the opportunity to learn a lot of things in a short period of time... as do you. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as much as the last, and leave a review.  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring my work, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

Izuku looked down at the smaller hand firmly ensconced in his, fighting the urger to blush any more darkly than he already was. He was quickly coming to the conclusion that Amora was a very tactile person. When they were stationary, she snuggled against his side. When they walked, she held his hand. It almost seemed as if she was unwilling to let him out of her sight now that she'd found him... which if she was as enamored with attaching herself to Thors as she'd made herself out to be, was probably close to the truth.

As they made their way down the street that his apartment was on, Izuku finally gathered up the courage to raise their clasped hands and clear his throat softly. "Are you going to be like this all the time? Not trying to complain or anything, at least I guess I'm not. It's just a little strange for me, considering that I've never had a girlfriend before. Or a girl who was my friend. I haven't really talked to girls before you. And Loki, I guess. Have I mentioned yet that I'm a pretty sad excuse for a human being?"

Chuckling softly, Amora swung their arms a bit more energetically, raising their intertwined hands higher up into the air. "And exactly what is wrong with enjoying a simple public display of affection, hmm?"

"Because to be brutally honest, I'm not really used to anyone other than my mother tolerating my existence, much less appreciating it." Izuku brought his other hand up to rub at the back of his neck, only to end up blushing both at the incredulous look that Amora was shooting him and his own stupidity as the head of Stormbreaker smacked him upside the back of his head. "That's a big part of why I'm not sure that Stormbreaker chose the right person. I'm just... a Quirkless Deku, to borrow Kacchan's favorite phrase. Worthless. There's nothing special or unique or desirable about me in the least."

Taking advantage of their joined hands to pull Izuku to a stop, Amora scowled down at him. And wasn't that an odd situation for Izuku to be in? While he was far from being the tallest boy in his year, he was tall enough that all of his female classmates either looked up to him or met his eyes evenly. Even his own mother was a handful of centimeters shorter than him at this point. But both Amora and Loki towered over him by over twenty centimeters. He'd never really expected to be attracted to taller women but, well, here he was. "That may have been true yesterday but today is a brand new day for you, Izuku. Today you were judged and found worthy. Out of all the people on this planet who have stopped by that park and tried to lift that hammer? Up to and including that obnoxious little 'Kacchan' bitch? You alone were considered to be worthy to wield the power of Thor. There's more to you than you think there is, and I intend to help you learn to appreciate those things."

Izuku let out a thoughtful hum at that, letting Stormbreaker drop back down to hang at his side as he looked from Amora's face to their conjoined hands and back several times. "Even if that's true... how can you possibly like me? You don't even know me."

That question earned him a throaty chuckle from Amora, the blonde spinning around and tugging him forward again, leading him unerringly toward... the wrong apartment complex. He pulled her to a stop this time, coughing lightly before nodding in the direction of his building. She blushed faintly at her mistake but quickly regained her composure, tossing her hair haughtily. "It's simple, really. You're worthy of the power of Thor. Thor was worthy of my attention. Therefore, you must be worthy of my attention as well. And if it turns out you're not?" Amora shot a wicked grin back over her shoulder as she led Izuku toward the stairs. "I've been around for over a millennia at this point. I've got lots of experience faking it."

It took Izuku a moment to catch on to exactly what Amora was insinuating with her statement and then he blushed as red as his shoes, tripping over the first stair and nearly pulling them both down in the process. Even Stormbreaker wasn't enough to save him, the head of the axe hitting the concrete stair at an angle and skittering off sideways as he tipped forward. Thankfully Amora proved to be as strong as she was tall, easily planting her feet and supporting their combined weight to keep Izuku from tumbling completely. He blinked owlishly at the display before quickly scrambling back to his feet as he let out a nervous chuckle. "You're very strong. And very pretty. I'm not sure which one is more intimidating at this point."

"Considering that soon you'll be as strong as me, and then even stronger shortly thereafter? You should definitely be intimidated my beauty. Or my poise or charm. I'll accept any of the three. Possibly my intellect? I'm admittedly not the sharpest of my brethren but compared to you mere mortals..." Amora brought their joined hands up to chest level before putting her free hand atop it and slowly raising that hand up over her head. "...yeah."

Deciding for once in his relatively mundane and uninteresting life to just go with the flow, Izuku offered Amora a shy smile. "Well then I guess it's lucky for me that I find intelligent women attractive?" That earned him a burble of laughter from the blonde as she continued to lead him up the stairs, pausing briefly at the top of each flight to see if she should keep going. That continued all the way to the top floor, at which point she began leading him down the hallway with a slight hesitation in front of each door. Eventually, they ended up in front of his apartment and he gave her an anxious smile before unlocking the door. "Here's to hoping that my mother wasn't watching the news?"

"IZUKU! MY BABY BOY!"

So much for that vain hope.

Izuku braced himself as he stepped into the apartment, releasing Amora's hand and carefully lowering Stormbreaker onto the floor behind him and resting his weight on the handle. It turned out to be in vain as his mother came barreling around the corner, engulfing him in a powerful hug that nearly bowled him over backward. There was a soft chuckle from behind him as Amora reached up, placing her hands on his shoulders to keep him from falling back onto her and then slowly easing him back upright as he patted his mother's back awkwardly with his free hand. "Hey, Mom. It's me."

"You're all over the news! They're saying that you rushed into that alley trying to save Katsumi-chan when the pro heroes couldn't, and then that famous magical hammer from the park came flying out of nowhere and..." Trailing off, Midoriya Inko leaned to one side, peering past Izuku at the hammer that he was leaning against. "That hammer. It's all true, then? You're really the new wielder of Stormbreaker? You have the power of Thor now?"

Before Izuku could formulate an answer that wouldn't freak out his generally overbearing and overly emotional mother, Amora decided to insert herself into the conversation. Taking a step forward, she pressed herself against his back, wrapping one arm around his shoulders as she offered the other to his mother. "As of today? He is indeed. Nice to meet you, Midoriya-san. My name is... oh bother, I think I introduced myself to your son backward. It would be Incantare Amora in this neck of the woods, wouldn't it? Either way, I'm one of the Asgardians assigned to monitor Stormbreaker for changes... and your son's new girlfriend. I look forward to getting to know you in the coming days and months."

Izuku let out a groan of resignation as he brought his free hand up to cover his face, already anticipating his mother's reaction to Amora's introduction. She didn't disappoint. "You're... my Izuku's girlfriend? My little boy has found himself a girlfriend! Oh! He's growing up so fast! And look at you! So strong and powerful and beautiful! My Izuku sure knows how to pick them, doesn't he?"

"Actually, I believe that technically I'm the one who picked him but... yes, let's go with that for the sake of your motherly pride." Amora turned herself sideways, squeezing past both Izuku and Inko and stepping into the apartment proper. Looking around speculatively, she did her best to mask the distaste that Izuku could tell she was feeling. And if someone as socially inept as he could tell how she was feeling, chances were that literally anyone else could as well. "You come from very... humble... beginnings, don't you, Izuku-kun? That's okay. Every hero has to start somewhere, I suppose."

Wanting to act before his mother could recover from her shock and realize that someone was insulting her home - or, even worse, double back to the part about him inheriting Stormbreaker and the power of Thor - Izuku slipped his shoes off and left them in the genkan as he padded into the living room after Amora. Who... was no longer wearing her green boots, of which there were no sign. Magic, he supposed. That would probably be the answer to many of his questions for the foreseeable future. "Why don't I show you my room? Didn't you promise that you'd answer the questions I have about Asgardians?"

Amora pouted faintly, clearly interested in continuing to explore his dwelling, before perking up as she realized that he was offering to let her explore somewhere that she wouldn't be allowed to enter on her own. "Good idea. I think that'd be an excellent way to pass the time until dinner... assuming, of course, that your mother doesn't object to me joining you two."

Were people allowed to invite themselves to dinner? Wasn't that rude? Or was that only rude if you weren't an Asgardian? Maybe it was normal to them. Or maybe it was just Amora being Amora. Whatever the cause, Izuku took Amora's hand before looking over at his mother, who gave him an excited smile and a thumbs up. Right then. Dinner for three it was. "Okaa-san seems okay with it, so I guess you're eating with us tonight. Now come on. I've had literal years to think of questions; the sooner we get started, the better."

"But Izuku, I have more questions for you and your..." Trailing off, Inko's eyes dropped down to their clasped hands and she smiled giddily. "Never mind. Why don't you go show her your room? No funny business, though!"

Blushing brightly, Izuku gave a gentle tug on Amora's hand as he fled the room, pulling the laughing blonde along behind him. Stopping in front of a white door adorned with an All Might name plaque, he braced himself for the coming judgement. "Just to warn you, I'm a bit of a hero otaku. Maybe more than just 'a bit'." And then he opened the door, leading a girl into his personal space for the first time.

Amora let out a low whistle as she looked around, taking in the All Might figures... and posters... and sheets... and alarm clock... and throw rug. "Yeah, this is more than just a bit, Izuku." Moving to sit on the edge of his bed, she smirked faintly as she crossed one leg over the other. "Just think, some day soon children will be buying figures and posters of you. Won't that be something?"

Halfway to the bookshelf containing the other volumes of Hero Analysis for the Future, Izuku froze at her question before slowly turning to look at her. "Merchandise? Of... me? You really think that I'll be famous enough someday to have merchandise?"

"They still make replicas of Mjölnir for people to buy, and that particular hammer of Thor's hasn't existed in over two centuries. Why wouldn't they make merchandise of the hero who stepped up to inherit Thor's legacy?" Amora brought her hands up, pressing them together before drawing them apart vertically, yellowish-green light sparkling between her palms as she created a small statuette of Izuku. "You're going to need a manager, though, now that Tony and Pepper aren't around to look after your business concerns any longer. Perhaps I should set my sights on entering the U.A. Business Course? Loki's been talking about entering the Support Course to see how her Asgardian scientific knowledge lends itself to modern technology."

Izuku turned his attention back to his bookshelf, navigating all the way back to Volume 4 and pulling it free before turning to face Amora. "All three of us as U.A. together? That would definitely be... interesting. I wouldn't mind sharing a school with you but from what little contact we've had so far, I honestly can't tell if Loki likes me or not. Platonic like, that is, not liking me in the sense that you like me." After pondering that for a moment, Izuku shook his head to clear it before flipping open the notebook in his hand. His writing was... decidedly less steady and sophisticated than it was today, but at least it wasn't in crayon like Volume 1. "Okay, here's a burning question that's been bugging me since I started researching Asgardians... what the heck ever happened to Sif? She was your most prolific visitor to Earth but dropped off the radar right before the rest of you moved to Tønsberg."

The question earned him a faintly disgusted look from Amora, who gave a full body shudder before answering. "Vanaheimr. She appointed herself Protector of the Realm when Thor began spending more time on Midgard, and as such managed to miss both Hela's return to Asgard and the Burning. With our access to the Bifröst limited with Stormbreaker in hibernation, I have neither seen nor heard from her in a great many years but she is a formidable warrior and there's no reason to think that she's not still defending her adopted people."

Darting over to grab a pen off his desk, Izuku's hand flew back and forth over the page as he recorded the new information. When he finished, he tapped his pen against his cheek thoughtfully. "Now that I hold Stormbreaker, I can go to Vanaheimr and meet her for myself. Imagine what she could tell me about Thor? Asgard before its fall? Other heroes that she worked with here on Earth?" Amora let out an affronted noise and Izuku looked over at her, waving his hands placatingly. "Of course I have you for that, but another perspective never hurts, right? But that's all in the far future, seeing as how I don't know how to do... well, much of anything with Stormbreaker at this point. Moving on... what about the three men who appeared with Sif during the Puente Antiguo incident? They were never seen again as far as I know, and Thor never mentioned them during any of his interviews..."


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Joe's Note:** So, after a chapter of exposition, a chapter of action, and another chapter of exposition... I guess that means it's time for another chapter of exposition and world-building? No really, the unfortunate truth of any story is that unless you're doing something that slavishly adheres to canon, you have to spend an awful lot of the story's early days building your world. Because it's not the same world that everyone in the fandom is used to, and you can't rely solely on their preexisting knowledge. We as authors are exploring brave new worlds with our readers, which inevitably requires us to construct said worlds. Hopefully this will cover the last of the necessary exposition, though, leaving us free to pursue action and adventure from here on out. Also, shout out to the forty-four people who've favorited this story and the fifty-six people who have me on alert. You guys rock.  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring my work, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

"Not that I'm complaining about the idea of meeting up with you for some training, because we both know I definitely need it. But why are we... here?"

Izuku felt it was a fair question, given that Dagobah Municipal Beach Park hardly seemed like the sort of place that someone as sophisticated as Amora would enjoy spending her time. What with the giant piles of junk and circling seagulls and occasional juvenile delinquent and all. But she had in fact been the one to insist on meeting him at the beach. At a really early hour of the morning. It was more proof that no matter how much he learned about the blonde, he didn't really know or understand her at all.

Even after several days of encounters with her, so much of Amora remained a mystery to Izuku. She was almost too obliging and accommodating, graciously tolerating all of his eccentricities and social missteps even though he was pretty sure they still grated on her. Instead of snapping, though, she just endured each incident with a bemused smile followed by a gentle nudge, trying her best to correct his behavior rather than simply growing frustrated with it.

True to her word, Amora had stayed at his side that first night until dinner was ready and then returned there after they'd finished eating, answering every question that he could think of about the Asgardians. Hell, she'd actually gone and volunteered some information that he hadn't asked for, even. And when it was finally time for her to leave, she'd graced him with a kiss on the lips that had left Izuku as red as his shoes. Then she'd taken a copy of his contact information, promising to contact him 'soon' once she'd made some arrangements for his training.

The next day, his normal existence did its level best to reassert itself, as if something massively life-changing hadn't happened the afternoon before. He got up when his All Might alarm clock went off, going through all the normal motions and heading to school just like always. When he arrived, he found himself the center of quite literally everyone's attention for a vaguely positive reason for the first time. Well, everyone except for Kacchan, who seemed to be indulging in a bit of a sulk as she pointedly ignored his presence all day. And of course, everyone had wanted to see his famous new possession, which he'd opted to leave home for obvious reasons. After all, according to the legends about Thor, he could summon his hammer to himself from anywhere. Bringing it to school was an accident - or incident - waiting to happen, especially compared to the relatively safe option of leaving it home with his mother.

By the time school let out for the day, Amora still hadn't called or texted. Instead, she'd chosen to pop up at Aldera Junior High School so that she could walk home with him. Evidently him taking possession of Stormbreaker meant that she and her fellow Asgardians were effectively out of a job, and so she had nothing but free time... free time that she wanted to spend with him. Her presence set his classmates to gossiping as much - or possibly more than - his new hammer, not that he'd had much time to process their renewed attention to his existence. Amora had up and taken his hand like they were some sort of... couple... or something, leading him off toward a nearby arcade. And then a ramen stand. And then a nearby park, where they'd watched the world go by until sunset. At which point she'd brought him back home, kissed him goodnight again, and disappeared into the night.

This morning, he'd awoken to the persistent buzzing of his cellphone, Amora bombarding his phone with a series of short messages to try and wake him up. It had worked and once awake, he'd agreed to meet her at the nearby Dagobah Beach because... well, she'd asked nicely enough for Amora. Well, 'come to the beach if you want to learn how to use your powers' wasn't really asking so much as a thinly veiled summons if one wanted to get technical, but he'd gone along with it anyway.

And so here he was. Wondering why he was there.

"Simple. He may have been our king and a mighty warrior indeed, but the original Thor was an arrogant little swot when he was your age. I'm going to nip that in the bud by teaching you some humility right out of the gate." Shivering a bit in the cool ocean breeze, Amora gestured to the dingy beach with one green mitten. "You need to learn how to harness and control your new strength. I need a beach near my house that I can actually enjoy going to. You're going to clean up Dagobah Beach as training and in return, you'll not only become more powerful but get to see me in a bikini on a regular basis. That's a fair trade, yes?"

Izuku nodded eagerly before catching himself and blushing darkly at where his thoughts had gone. While ostensibly they were dating and he was allowed to like seeing his girlfriend in a bikini... wait, were they dating? Neither of them had come out and asked the other out. Amora had simply declared that she was going to be his girlfriend and he hadn't possessed the courage to contradict her. Did that mean they were dating now? Shaking his head, he forced that and other irrelevant thoughts out as he tried to focus on the more pertinent portion of her explanation. "I need to train my strength? I thought that maybe we'd be meeting so I could learn how to fight or master Stormbreaker's abilities or... something."

Arching an eyebrow, Amora regarded him with a distinct air of haughty disdain. "Do I really strike you as the type who would be able to teach you anything about hitting things with a hammer or summoning lightning to smite your foes?"

She made a good point. At least one one front, Izuku mused. Namely because... "You're a sorceress, aren't you? Wouldn't me summoning lightning be somewhat similar to you channeling magical energy? Enough that you could teach me a thing or two? And I've heard rumors that Stormbreaker has other, more unusual abilities too..."

"Possibly, but you're missing the larger point that I'm trying to make: when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." Amora mumbled a few words under her breath before waving her hand, summoning a yellowish-green energy construct that was a dead ringer for the pictures and videos of Thor that Izuku was familiar with from historical documentaries. "Thor was a hero in his own way, but I can assure you that Thor was by no means a hero by your society's standards."

Izuku bristled at that, eyes bouncing back and forth rapidly between the likeness of Thor and the sorceress generating it. "I know you two didn't always have the best relationship, at least according to him, but isn't that an awfully cruel thing to say about someone who did so much good? Someone who I'm supposed to be living up to the legacy of?"

After considering that for a moment, Amora manipulated the magical simulacra to show Thor bashing some unknown creature's head in with his hammer. "History is written by the victors, and so my people see him as a valiant warrior on the side of righteousness... but the fact remains that most of what he did was kill. Frequently. Violently. That doesn't necessarily translate well into being the Number One hero of a society that has idealized its civil defenders. So while we're obviously going to work on helping you grow into the power that you've inherited, we're also going to need to teach you how to use said same power... appropriately. Do you understand now?"

Nodding slowly, Izuku watched as the magical construct reset and Thor bashed his enemy's head in again. "I certainly can't do... that... to a villain. Not if I want to make it to Number One, that is. Wanton destruction and disregard for human life is a big part of why Endeavor is perpetually stuck at Number Two."

Sighing, Amora closed the distance between them and grabbed Izuku by the bicep, squeezing it gently. "Now that we've established why we'll be doing what we're doing, let's get back to our original topic. The 'power of Thor' is a bit difficult to explain, mostly because today's society separates Quirks into neat little categories and being the wielder of Stormbreaker doesn't fit into any of them. Let's try an analogy to see if that makes this go any smoother. Okay, imagine that normal human strength can be measured on a scale of one to ten. While I'm already quite fond of you, I think we can both agree that right now you'd be a one. Now imagine that having the 'power of Thor' multiplies your strength by three. Your pathetic one becomes a three. Still below average but a slight bit more respectable. But then if you build up your own strength and naturally become a two..?"

"Then with Thor's power, I'd effectively be a six. And if I become a three, then I'm all the way up at nine." Izuku bounced excitedly on his toes, looking from Amora to the nearby piles of garbage and back as his mind continued to whirl. "A five would put me into the realm of strength-enhancing Quirks at fifteen, and getting all the way to ten would make me practically All Might at thirty! I get it! So I need to clean this beach to raise my base strength number to increase how strong the power of Thor makes me!"

Nodding in agreement, Amora let her hand drop away from Izuku's arm, brushing her covered hand against the hilt of Stormbreaker as it sat on the sand between them. "Granted it's all much more complex than that in actuality because being Thor's successor involves channeling immense amounts of power and mastering complex abilities... but the analogy works well enough for now. Also, the better shape you're in, the better you'll survive the transformations."

Izuku cocked his head to the side curiously, curious as to what Amora was talking about. "Transformations? As in... what? I'll turn into Thor?"

That question earned him a soft scoff and a roll of Amora's eyes in response. "I'm sure someone as well informed about heroes as you has seen pictures of both Jane Foster and the second Thor. The latter bearing a passing fair resemblance to the former, even if she's considerably larger and more powerful?" Izuku nodded; there were some obvious differences like the musculature and hair color, but they definitely looked like they... could be related, at the very least? "The same thing will happen with you. As you channel more and more of the power you've been given, you'll start to take on an... idealized form of sorts. Bigger, stronger, more powerful. More god-like. But still you at the end of the day."

Furrowing his brow, Izuku tried to visualize what he might look like someday as... as 'Green Thor', to borrow Amora's passing appellation for him. The process made his head spin, mostly because all of the images that floated through his head involved him looking like a green-haired version of All Might. Which was probably because Thor bore a strong resemblance to All Might. He... was going to look like the kind of person who could be the Number One hero. Maybe he'd even be able to earn his way into that top spot. Wouldn't that be a giant kick in the pants to everyone who told him that he'd never amount to anything? "...so I'll still be Izuku at the end of the day, just better?"

"Exactly. But your level of physical fitness will play a key role in not only how much power you can channel, but how long you can channel it. Jane's career as Thor flared out after only five years, while Thor was able to handle his power for centuries at a time." Amora held up both of her hands comparatively, looking back and forth from one to the other. "Thor was an Asgardian who kept himself in outstanding physical shape. Jane, on the other hand, was a scientist who was roughly as fit as a russet potato."

All of that made a good deal of sense to Izuku. He wasn't an Asgardian. His body wasn't meant to handle the kind of power that Thor's body could easily accommodate. But while he'd never be as physically hale as an Asgardian, the more he closed that gap, the better off he'd be. The better hero he'd turn out to be. "Right then, Amora-sama! How should I get started?"

Amora wriggled her hand out of her mitten, making a series of complex gestures that culminated with a yellowish-green portal springing to life a few feet from the nearest pile of trash. "Pick something up and dump it in here. The portal will take it to the Lotho Incineration Facility to be properly disposed of. Oh..." Fisting her other hand in Izuku's t-shirt, Amora pulled him in for a quick peck on the lips that set him back to blushing as she quirked an eyebrow. "And what's this 'Amora-sama' nonsense?"

Doing his best to meet her demanding gaze, Izuku reached up to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "Both you and Loki-sama are literal goddesses and so it's only appropriate way to refer to you?"

That answer earned him a sigh and a resigned shake of Amora's head. "While I'd appreciate that level of deference from most people, Izuku-kun, we're dating. You can call me Amora-chan. In fact, I insist."

Straightening up a bit, Izuku leaned in nervously and pressed his lips to the corner of Amora's mouth. When she smiled encouragingly, he repeated the motion, kissing her square on the lips this time. "Are we? Dating, that is? You just sort of... told me that you were going to be my girlfriend. Is that actually how it works? I've never dated anyone before. I thought there'd be more of an asking and agreeing process involved."

"Oh, by Odin's saggy right nut... fine. Midoriya Izuku..." Amora released Izuku's shirt, gesturing first at her companion and then down at herself. "Would you like to go out with me?"

Was this what Morisato Keiichi from _Ah! My Goddess!_ felt like, Izuku idly found himself wondering. Because would he? Obviously. He'd have to be an idiot to say no. And not just because he didn't exactly have any other girls beating his door down wanting to go out with him. Amora was powerful, intelligent, beyond gorgeous... she was practically perfect in every way save for being perhaps a little too forward and aggressive with him. But at the same time, a small part Izuku had him wanting to decline her offer for her own good. After all, there had to be someone more deserving of Amora's attention and affection than a Quirkless loser like him.

Except that while he may still be Quirkless, he wasn't helpless anymore. Or hopeless. He had a power all his own in the form of Stormbreaker and Thor's abilities. Despite what Kacchan and everyone else had told him, he was going to be a hero. And if Amora really wanted to stand by his side through that journey... who was he to tell her no? "I'd be honored to be your boyfriend... Amora-chan."

Grinning impishly, Amora treated him to his longest kiss yet, both of the morning and overall. "Good. And now that we've got that settled... I do believe it's time for you to haul some trash."

Izuku sagged a bit at that, leaning back as he looked over at the towering piles of trash that covered the beach. "I thought we were having a moment."

After flicking her hand one more time to push a bit more magic into her portal - or at least that's what it looked like; Izuku knew nothing about how her magic actually worked yet - Amora slipped her hand back into her mitten and gave him a pat on the back. "We were. Now you and the trash can have a moment. Dare I say the first of many moments?"

Izuku sighed.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Joe's Note:** And now we're moving right along toward Izuku's date with destiny, also known as the Entrance Exam followed by his inevitable enrollment at U.A. High School. I've got this chapter and maybe one more in me to cover the period where he's coming to terms with his new power. Given that he's still technically Quirkless and can fight villains without a license, I feel like I could really decompress the period and make a lengthy affair out of the ten months between when Izuku gets Stormbreaker and when he takes the exam... but to be honest, I doubt that's why any of us are here. After all, if you take a long hard look at the _My Hero Academia_ fanfiction and crossover archives, people who tend to wander off the beaten path tend to be roundly ignored. Unless there's a harem. Or a SYOC story. Although I'm not sure the latter counts, given that most of their reviews tend to be people submitting information in hopes of becoming a part of that author's story. Although in lieu of a harem, Izuku will be trying his hand at a functional polyamorous relationship where he tries to mediate between a goddess and a mortal. That should be interesting, right?  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring my work, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

"So, you've been showing up here for weeks and I still don't know what your Quirk is. Lemme guess... something that keeps you from falling out of those slutty tops of yours?"

"You're just jealous that your grades aren't the only place where As dominate your life."

"Tch! Fuck you, Cow Tits! As if I'd want udders like yours flopping around while I'm trying to break my way into being the Number One hero!"

"First of all, despite their size my breasts are incredibly perky and firm, thank you very much. No 'flopping' whatsoever. Secondly, why I haven't just teleported you to another realm and been done with you, I still can't fathom."

"Bitch who's about to get her face blown off says what?"

Shouldering his way through the crowd forming just outside the front lobby of Aldera Junior High School, Izuku gave a deep sigh as he emerged into the warm spring afternoon, quickly discovering why there was there was considerable congestion just past the doors. Namely, because he was walking into yet another confrontation between his girlfriend and his first friend. Former friend? Amora insisted that anyone who treated Izuku the way that Katsumi did should hardly be considered a friend... while Izuku was of the opinion that Kacchan was just a bit misunderstood and rough around the edges. Rough edges that tended to grate on Amora, leading to a regular series of confrontations between the two blondes.

Izuku shook his head with another sigh, looking around until he found himself catching Loki's eye. Or rather, 'Koli' as she insisted that he refer to her in a public setting. Evidently the jötunn was smart enough not to wander around using her real name in public since her apparent death but was enamored with anagrams... and there were only so many ways to scramble the same four letters. Amora had become a fixture in Izuku's afternoons, between their date-like activities and regular jaunts to Dagobah Beach to train. Loki, on the other hand, tended to come and go from his life as she pleased. Unless Izuku was mistaken - and he very well might be; he had a lot on his mind these days - this was actually the first time that she'd shown up with Amora outside his school in the afternoon.

Pushing through the crowd of onlookers, Izuku stepped into the narrow space between Katsumi and Amora, putting a hand on each girl's shoulder. "Enough. Kacchan, stop trying to bait my girlfriend into fighting you. You wouldn't like how it ends. Amora-chan, stop rising to the bait. You're more mature than her by a long shot and we both know it. Act like it."

"The fuck you say?" Katsumi's wild red eyes turned from Amora to Izuku, narrowing as she glared up at him angrily. "I've got the best Quirk in this shit hole of a school. I can take anything your bitch can dish out and then some."

Izuku rolled his eyes at the familiar display of bravado, leaning in closer to Kacchan and lowering his voice. "You're smarter than this, Kacchan. You were there during my Asgardian obsession phase. Amora. And the dark-haired girl behind her is 'Koli'. And they showed up around when my famous new accessory did. Push the arrogance down just a little and think for a damn second. Think about who you're picking a fight with."

Understanding suddenly dawned, Katsumi's eyes widening with a flicker of fear that was ruthlessly suppressed under a facade of angry bluster. "Didn't Loki get beat like a drum by the Avengers? And then die like, three times over? I bet I could take her. And Amora's pretty much just a low rent Loki copy, so she can't be much harder to beat."

"You're joking, right? You may be the most powerful student here at Aldera Junior High School, but do you really think you rate on the same scale as the Hulk? Really, Kacchan?" Izuku rolled his eyes as Katsumi sputtered angrily, clearly building up to an angry rant. "I look up to you, Kacchan. Seriously, I do. No matter how badly you've treated me, you're still an inspiration to me. But as strong as you are, you're no Hulk. Or Kurse. Or Thanos. Koli is as far beyond you as you were beyond me before I got Stormbreaker. And even I still don't really have a handle on what Amora can do, although I can tell you she's not a low rent anything."

The two stared into each other's eyes for a few long seconds and then Katsumi let out a dismissive snort, putting her small hand on Izuku's chest and pushing him back away from her. "Tch, whatever. I'll keep things to just words... for now. But one of these days, I'm going to be a big time hero and if she's still looking for a fight? There's no power on this earth that'll stop me from showing her exactly what I think of her."

"The U.A. entrance exam is coming up in only nine months. And at the rate I'm mastering my new powers, you're going to have some serious competition for the top spot." Izuku chuckled softly, hesitating for a few seconds before holding his fist out to Katsumi uncertainly. While Amora's mere presence seemed to grate on her for some reason, the blonde had been a bit less aggressive toward him as of late for some reason. Ever since he'd taken up Stormbreaker. Or when he'd saved her. Given the two events had occurred on the same day, Izuku wasn't entirely sure which was the cause of her new - and slightly more pleasant - demeanor. "You've got bigger things to worry about than my girlfriend, Kacchan. After all, how are you going to beat a millennia-old Asgardian if you can't even beat me?"

Reluctantly raising her smaller hand, Katsumi rolled her eyes before bumping her fist against his and then turning away. "In your dreams. It's going to take more than a magical hammer and an Asgardian trainer for you to beat me. Underneath it all, you're still just a Deku."

Izuku clucked his tongue at that, debating asking the question floating at the back of his mind before deciding to just go ahead with it when Katsumi hesitated rather than walking away. "All problems with Amora aside, I can't help but notice that you're being a bit nicer to me these days. Especially compared to the last few years. And you were actually willing to back down when you realized who Amora was, instead of trying to blow her up anyway. Not that it would have gone well, but the old you would have tried her best. Are you going soft in your old age or something?"

"You're joking, right?" Katsumi stared back over her shoulder at him in disbelief for several seconds before shaking her head slowly. "You're serious. For fuck's sake. Of course I'm treating you differently. You'll never be as good as me, but you're not worthless anymore. You could actually survive in the wild if you had to. So I don't have to try and crush your dream of being a hero to save you from yourself, now do I?"

Izuku stared at Katsumi in disbelief. "All this time, all these years... you were acting like a colossal bitch to me to try and... help me? That's so... so tsundere."

Blushing faintly, Katsumi turned her head forward. "Shut the fuck up, Deku. And stop calling me Kacchan, will you? We're not kids anymore."

"I'll stop calling you Kacchan when you stop calling me Deku."

"Deku."

"Kacchan."

Taking a few moments to watch at Katsumi stalked off through the crowd, meeting up with the same two boys that she always hung out with before taking off for parts unknown, Izuku turned back to Amora to find the blonde staring at him with a gimlet eye. "I take it back. There's something between the two of you, and I want nothing to do with it. You and 'Kacchan' remind me of Sif and... Koli. And we both know how that turned out." When Izuku just stared at her uncomprehendingly, she raised her hands and made a lewd gesture, making the green-haired boy blush a dark shade of red. "If you think I'm going to share you with that tire fire of a mortal, though, you have another think coming."

Izuku raised his hands in surrender before waving them awkwardly. "It's not like that! Kacchan and I are... complicated. But not that complicated. Really, though? Sif and... Koli? That must have been a while before you guys came to Earth because I've never even heard hints of that..."

"I'm standing right here, you two." Loki rolled her eyes as she took a step closer, elbowing Amora in the side none too gently before turning her attention to Izuku. "Sif and I were... complicated. The best way I can explain it is that we had certain common interests but not enough to overcome how different our personalities were and so for the most part, we couldn't help but rub each other the wrong way."

Closing the distance between herself and Izuku, Amora tucked herself under her right arm as was her habit and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Except for when they were rubbing each other the right way, that is." Izuku's fading blush returned in full force as entirely unbidden, his mind began to fill with images of Sif's body intertwined with Loki's female form. It... definitely wasn't a bad image. "But enough about of Koli's previous assignations for now. We have work to do, as always. I was thinking that we could finally work on your ability to harness one of Stormbreaker's more esoteric powers. We haven't really needed to touch on it thus far because you have nowhere to go... but how would you like to learn to summon the Bifröst?"

Would he? Heck yeah, he would. Izuku's eyes widened with anticipation as he nodded eagerly; with the ability to command the Rainbow Bridge at his fingertips, forget something as limited as being the Number One hero of Japan. He could be the Number One hero of the entire world. No disaster... no crime... no opportunity to do good would be out of his reach if he could teleport himself from one side of the planet to the other at a whim. "Definitely! Where should we go to work on something like this? The beach? The park? Or maybe we should take the train out to one of the more rural prefectures to minimize any collateral damage if I mess something up? It wouldn't be hard to get out to Mie Prefecture; the forest would make a good place to train an ability like that, right?"

"By the Allfather, he's more of an excitable puppy than Thor was at his age. How do you ever manage to get anything done?" Loki shook her head despondently before pulling away from Izuku and Amora, gesturing for the pair to follow her as she led them away from the school. Once they were a good distance away from the crowd in front of the building, Loki turned back to them and made a pulling gesture. "Well then, summon Stormbreaker. Let's get this show on the road."

Izuku raised an eyebrow as he raised one hand over his head, mentally summoning his hammer from where he'd left it atop the school. At this point, he was strong and durable enough to jump down from the roof to the ground level and so he'd taken to flying to school each day, leaving his hammer where nobody else could stumble across it during his classes. As the haft slapped against his palm, he curled his fingers around it and sucked in a breath as its innate power flooded through his body. While being judged worthy meant that he now carried a part of Thor's power with him at all times, far more of it was still bound within the hammer that he wielded and feeling it flow through his body was a heady sensation. "Hammer: check. Now what, Loki-sama?"

That got a chuckle out of Loki, the dark-haired girl shooting him an approving look as she buffed her nails against her black top. "It's so nice to finally have a Thor who properly appreciates my greatness. But to answer your question, we're going to teach you to be a bit more refined with this power than my brother ever was. After all, you don't want to be like Mount Lady and cause tremendous amounts of collateral damage whenever you come or go, do you?" Izuku shook his head; that was the sort of thing that Endeavor did and he was perpetually stuck at Number Two for a reason. "So what you're going to be learning today is precision. I've already talked to the valkyries in Tønsberg and one agreed to be our subject for this little experiment. So what I want you to do is-"

"Even with Brunnhilde to guide their resurgence, the valkyries are all ill-mannered thugs. I have absolutely no desire to spend even a minute of my afternoon around one." Turning to Izuku, Amora brought her hands up to her chest beseechingly. "You should practice this new skill by summoning us a Krylorian." A what? "Imagine a whole planet that's basically a maid café full of pretty pink girls. That's Krylor. The entire species is gorgeous and servile; a few worked in the palace in Asgard, and you'll find them all over the galaxy as various forms of support staff. I bet if we brought one here, she'd be interested enough by Earth to want to stay and help cook and clean for you. Me. Us. I could keep her for you until you're old enough to get a place with me."

While on one hand, Izuku had absolutely no intention of - or desire to - acquire any form of servant, cute or otherwise, he was also willing to admit that meeting an alien would be awfully neat. Well, an alien beyond Loki and Amora. An alien-looking alien. And so he shot Loki a sheepish grin before raising Stormbreaker over his head and focusing. He wanted to meet a cute pink-skinned girl. He wanted to bring her to him. Stormbreaker had to find this girl, wrap her in its power, and bring her to where he was standing.

...please?

Suddenly his eyes flew open as power roared around him, the entire world transforming into glittering rainbow light. He could hear the pavement beneath him hissing and crackling, wincing when he looked down to find Norse runes burning themselves into the ground in a circle around him. Although thankfully it wasn't too big a circle? Then there was a pulse of power and the light show came to an abrupt end... with a pink-skinned girl standing in front of him.

A pink-skinned girl in a school uniform.

A pink-skinned girl in a school uniform who was gathering pools of some sort of fluid in the palms of her hands, quite possibly acid by the way it hissed ominously when it dripped down onto the pavement.

"Guys? I don't think I summoned a Krylorian."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Joe's Note:** And we're back at it again this week with more Mithoriya insanity. This is going to be one of maybe three chapters in the entire piece that will feature content from a perspective outside of Izuku's. I generally tend to keep my works fairly limited in their perspective; I find third person omniscient to be lazy writing in the extreme and difficult to maintain narrative tension in because you're being exposed to things that the character isn't. Which in turn spoils things for you because you know before the character does and can react accordingly. Thankfully _My Hero Academia_ does a fairly good job of avoiding that pitfall insofar as that what we do see outside of Izuku's perspective is either side knowledge that doesn't truly impact the course of his story - like the anime-specific episode focusing on other people's internships - or is conveyed to us through other means shortly after we see it from an outside perspective. So yeah. If you're the kind of person who likes that sort of thing, enjoy the temporary respite from Izuku's perspective while it lasts. It won't happen often.  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring my work, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

Ashido Mina liked to think that she was a fairly relaxed and easy-going girl. Developing a Quirk completely unlike anyone else's in her family had forced her to be; when she was younger, every day was a new struggle for her to adapt to and overcome. But while she did her best to be flexible, that went out the window when a rainbow beam of light abducted her from the café where she was relaxing with her friends and dumped her somewhere unknown with three strange teenagers staring at her in disbelief.

"Guys? I don't think I summoned a Krylorian." That came from the apparent ringleader of her abductors, an athletic-looking boy with green hair and green eyes who was clutching the handle of a positively massive war hammer. Mina's eyes widened as she realized who she was looking at. While the only images that she could find online of Stormbreaker's latest wielder were blurry cell phone photos taken by spectators, they all showed a green-haired boy in a black gakuran uniform swinging the world's most famous episode. The boy in front of her matched all of those qualities exactly. Including the all-important hammer, of course. So she'd been abducted by the new Thor. Which proved - at a minimum - that he possessed supremely good taste, she mused. After all, if he was going to abduct a girl with his magic hammer, why wouldn't it be her? She was amazing.

Off to one side, a dark-haired girl drew Mina's attention by letting out a strangled laugh before raising her hands defensively. She was definitely more interesting to look at than Thor, Mina decided: truly American-style punk and goth girls were rare even in the more cosmopolitan urban areas that she frequented. Clad in a black sleeveless dress paired with a green and gold underbust corset and torn up black arm warmers and leggings, she just looked... foreign... by Mina's reckoning. "And this is why I arranged for one of the valkyries to help us with this exercise. Instead of, say, volunteering to teleport myself somewhere and have you retrieve me. Or asking you to transport yourself from here to another point. I was firmly convinced that you'd screw this up somehow because of course you would, you're someone that my brother finds worthy of wielding his power." Turning to Mina, the girl offered a smile and a jaunty wave. "I had nothing to do with this and so I'll be going now. Have fun trying to sort things out with these two idiots." And then a bright green spell seal appeared on the pavement around her feet, the girl falling through it and disappearing from sight before the seal winked out of existence.

Pouting, the green-haired boy looked from Mina to his remaining blonde companion and back. "I didn't do that badly, did I? I at least managed to make the Bifröst work for me. My aim could obviously use some improvement, but I feel like I should at least get points for a successful attempt?"

The blonde hummed softly at that, uncrossing her arms from over her chest as she gave Mina a slow and appraising inspection. Mina took the opportunity to return the favor: objectively, the girl was easily as pretty as her dark-haired companion if not more so. Which was strange, because usually she was partial to dark-haired people. Her green, cowl-necked dress looked snuggly as well as sexy, and her decision to accessorize it with a golden underbust corset of her own showed a distinct connection between her and the other girl. Maybe it was an Asgardian thing? She was wearing gleaming golden gauntlets, too, which definitely seemed like an Asgardian thing. From what she'd seen online, they loved armor. "She's pretty enough to be a Krylorian. The horns are cute and I like her eyes better. And she seems to have a powerful Quirk, which means that she'd be useful for more than looking cute and doing chores. I suppose we can count this as a success, even if it's not the unqualified success that I was - perhaps unrealistically - hoping for."

This was definitely a lot less fun than Mina had imagined she would have meeting Japan's newly most famous teenager, she thought with a huff. They were just talking about her like she wasn't there, or rather like she was there but wasn't a living, breathing person with thoughts of her own. Growing tired of the situation, Mina flicked more droplets of acid toward the pavement at the pair's feet before putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward threateningly. "That smoking pavement is going to be your faces if someone doesn't tell me what the hell is going on... now!"

Reaching up to tug at the collar of his own uniform top, the green-haired boy gave a loud gulp before offering her a nervous smile. "Well, my name is Midoriya Izuku and this is Incantare Amora. The girl who left was our friend Koli... err, just Koli really. And you're here because of an unfortunate accident that happened while I was testing out my new powers. You see, Stormbreaker is more than just a big hammer than controls lightning. It can do a lot of other things, including summoning the Bifröst. I was trying to use the Bifröst to bring a pink-skinned alien to me. I guess I wasn't specific enough because... well... yeah. Here you are. Unless you're part-Krylorian? In which case, I'd have done even better on my first try of using Stormbreaker for this than we thought."

"So what you're telling me is that you were trying to teleport an alien to you using your Quirk... Quirk Hammer... whatever you want to call what you can do, and you got me instead?" Mina waited until Midoriya and Incantare nodded slowly before straightening up, a wide grin splitting her face as she pumped a fist into the air excitedly. "That... is... awesome! Alien Queen was at the top of my list of future names for when I become a hero some day. Oh! Do you think I really might be part Crayola? Because it would explain why I don't look anything like anyone else in my family. Ooh, maybe my mom was abducted by aliens and probed. Or a Crayola came to Earth and she had an affair with him. That would be so... scandalous! I love it!"

Incantare looked at her incredulously for a moment before letting out a loud guffaw of laughter. "Crayolas. As in the children's drawing products. Ah, you ignorant humans, you never cease to amuse me. 'Krylorian', girl, the word you're looking for is 'Krylorian'. And I somehow doubt a member of that species voyaged all the way to Earth just so they could fornicate with your mother." Mina wilted in disappointment at that, dejected at being denied something so potentially juicy in her own life story. Then Incantare closed the distance between them, reaching up to cup her pink cheek with one pale hand and Mina found herself blushing a vibrant lavender as she went a bit crosseyed staring down at the hand on her face. "Besides, my dear, I would say that you're superior to a Krylorian in every way. They would be in envy of you."

Feeling a bit playful, Mina turned her head and pressed her lips to the palm of Amora's hand, giggling softly as the blonde gave her an approving look. Flicking her fingers downward to rid them of the last of her excess acid, she reached up to take Amora's hand between both of hers, looking back and forth between the girl and her green-haired companion. "So now what? I mean, I should probably call my parents and let them know that I'll be late getting home because I've been teleported to..."

"Musutafu."

"Oh, getting from the Ōta Ward back to Ichihara won't be that terrible. I've been doing research in case I actually do get into U.A. High next year." Mina paused, shooting a look over at the empty pavement that had previously been occupied by 'Koli', no family name. "Unless you guys can teleport me home? Midoriya, you managed to get me here, right? Can't you just reverse what you did?"

Midoriya rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. "I teleported you here while trying to meet an alien from another planet. Do you really trust me to get you back home safely after that?"

Opening her mouth to respond, Mina paused as she thought about that for a few seconds before ultimately deciding against her initial respond and shaking her head slowly. "Yeah, on second thought, can you show me the way to the nearest train station?"

* * *

Standing on the beach, Izuku thrust Stormbreaker high into the air as he furrowed his brow and focused on his goal. Rainbow light swirled in a column in front of him, burning Norse runes into the loose sand of Dagobah Beach, and then a bored-looking valkyrie appeared accompanied by a flash of white light and a low booming sound. Izuku gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up before reversing the process, not even letting the Bifröst close before whisking the young woman back off to Tønsberg. He turned to Amora excitedly... only to let out a sigh of exasperation as he found her perched atop a rusty abandoned car, taking yet another selfie. "Are you texting with Ashido again?"

Pausing, Amora offered him a guilty grin that she quickly smoothed into an innocent expression. "What gives you that idea?"

Izuku coughed before hooking his finger in the neckline of his t-shirt and pulling out on it gently, mimicking Amora's current pose. "Well it's either that or you've posted three increasingly risqué pictures on Instagram in the last few minutes." Dismissing the Bifröst, he shook his head as he lowered Stormbreaker to rest on the ground, leaning on the butt of the hammer. "I'm surprised she's still talking to you, to be honest. We did kidnap her, after all."

"Correction: you kidnapped her. I was the lovely young woman who complimented her and then held her hand all the way back to the train station so she wouldn't get lost." Amora preened as she reached up, running her free hand through her hair. "Of course she'd still talk to me. By the way, I may not be willing to share you with Katsumi on account of Katsumi being an absolute train wreck of a human being, but Mina is another story entirely. I like her."

That declaration left Izuku gaping at his blonde companion as he attempted to stutter his way to a coherent answer. "I... you... share... what? I just... what? You made jokes about me dating Loki too, and now this.. I feel like this is probably something we should talk about. I mean, I don't know much about relationships what with this being my first one and all, but is it normal for your girlfriend to ask you if you want to date other girls? Because I feel like it isn't."

Rising from her perch, Amora closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, her expression morphing into a sultry smirk as she stared up at him. "You're actually complaining that I might be interested in bringing other girls into our relationship? Most guys would jump at the chance."

Izuku shook his head... and then nodded... and then shrugged, reaching up with his free hand to rub the back of his neck as he shifted awkwardly in Amora's grasp. "I know that polyamory has become more socially acceptable since Quirks start manifesting, just like same-sex relationships... but I never thought I'd find even one girl who wanted anything to do with me. I'm still having problems believing that I'm actually in a relationship, much less one that might turn polyamorous."

That earned him a sigh from the occasionally capricious blonde, Amora's expression falling into something distinctly more negative. Disgust? Anger? A mixture of the two, perhaps? "The more you talk about your upbringing, the angrier with society I get. It's almost enough to make me think we should leave them all to their fate; just take Stormbreaker and go explore the cosmos together." She stared up at him angrily for a few seconds before wilting with a rueful chuckle. "But I know you're far, far too noble to do something like that. You're worthy, after all. So I'll swallow my righteous indignation and ask... are you perhaps familiar with the concept of 'karma'?"

"The idea that the sum of our actions in this life and the last life decide the fate of our future? I mean, I'm not Buddhist or anything but I'm not unfamiliar with the idea. Why?" Izuku gazed down at Amora as she quirked an eyebrow, unwinding one arm from around his waist so that she could gesture back and forth between the two of them. "Oh! You're saying that everything that's happened to me over the past few months is my reward for surviving a really awful upbringing? I mean, I guess you could look at it that way, although I still don't think I'm all that remarkable..."

Nodding, Amora wrapped her arm back around Izuku as she hugged him tightly, resting her head on his increasingly broad chest. "Izuku, your own mother refused to support your dreams once she learned you were Quirkless, you grew up friendless and alone because of said same fact, and the one person that you could ever call a friend bullied and abused you to try and crush your spirit in a thoroughly misguided attempt to protect you from yourself. You deserve all that's come your way as of late and more for surviving that with your sanity and moral fortitude intact. A lesser person would have turned to evil; believe me, I've witnessed it with my own two eyes."

Izuku wrapped his free arm around Amora, staring down at her with a slight frown on his face. "Why do I have a feeling that you're talking about Loki?"

"Probably because I am. But that's a story for her to share with you if she feels like it. I was obviously there but I lack her perspective... and it's her story anyway." Pulling away, Amora gave him a pat on the chest before rubbing her hand back and forth admiringly. "But enough of such maudlin things, and the encouragement needed to combat them. You've clearly mastered at least the basic usage of the Bifröst. And your physique is coming along quite nicely. Do you want to quit for the day... or would you like to try your hand at a proper transformation into your Thor form?"


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Joe's Note:** God willing, this will be the last chapter detailing Izuku's life before U.A. in this particular universe. Or, well, maybe I'll have one chapter covering that period between the entrance exam and his actual first day of school? Not sure. But we're officially done mucking around with that ten month period between when he takes up Stormbreaker and when he gets to test himself against the best that Quirks have to offer. Err, technically not the 'best' per se because he's going through the general entrance exam rather than the recommendations entrance exam, but you know what I mean, right? Moving on... I'm actually working on new fanart of Koli and Amora for this story, so the girls that Izuku has been running around with for the past few months might undergo some revision by the time they end up enrolled at U.A. High. If that does come to pass, it'll be covered in the story proper; I do my best to supply descriptive imagery from my character's perspective so you can help envision what they're seeing in the story. Character makeovers would definitely be covered under that.  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring me on Patreon, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

"Do you want to quit for the day... or would you like to try your hand at a proper transformation into your Thor form?"

Any fatigue that Izuku might have been feeling - which wasn't much, to be honest, opening the Bifröst was by far more of a mental strain than a physical one - was instantly washed away by Amora's words as he bounced on his toes excitedly. "I'd been wondering about that. You haven't brought it up again since that first time, but I've gotten a lot stronger in these past few months and I was starting to wonder if I'd ever be ready for it." Pulling back out of her remarkably strong grip, Izuku hefted Stormbreaker with both hands as he continued to bounce up and down excitedly. "But if you think I'm ready then of course I want to try!"

Amora chuckled and gave an amused shake of her head before taking a few more steps back to put a little distance between them. "I'm afraid that I'm going to be of limited help with this particular power. I know that it's possible from my time and conversations with Jane, but obviously the Thor that I was more familiar with didn't actually transform. He was always Thor."

Nodding in understanding, Izuku looked from the hammer in his hands to Amora and back before furrowing his brow in thought. "Well, most of my powers work by me wanting something to happen. Focus and willpower leading to a result. If I can direct lightning by wanting it to strike my target and open the Bifröst by willing something to be transported, maybe I just have to... want to be Thor?"

"That sounds like as good an idea as any. Just try to be a bit more dignified than Jane's first voluntary change." Izuku raised an eyebrow at that, and Amora rolled her eyes before chuckling ruefully. "The first time it happened was when she picked up Stormbreaker for the first time. So she had some idea what to expect from the process. And since she knew that she was changing from a slender brunette to a muscular blonde while wreathed in flickering energy? She thought the process might work if she tried to go Super Saiyan." Izuku opened his mouth, paused as he thought about it for a moment, and then closed his mouth. It wasn't a stupid idea, per se, but then again he was actually a fan of the _Dragon Ball_ series. Well, the older stuff at least. _Dragon Ball Super_ and its sequel _Dragon Ball Ultra_ had been good. Everything after that, not so much. "You are not going to tense up and shout until you transform. I forbid it."

Pouting a bit, Izuku nodded in resignation before taking a deep breath and focusing on the problem at hand. "Well, you said there's energy... presumably lightning. So why don't I raise Stormbreaker up over my head..." He matched actions to words, shifting to a one-handed grip on the hammer as he raised it high over his head. "I'm worthy. I control this power. This power is mine. And it's time for me to finally look the part. What would be a good catchphrase to yell when I transform? Every hero needs a catchphrase or two. You know, like All Might's 'I am here!'? What about something classically Thor like... **FOR ASGARD!**"

Thunder roared overhead as lightning struck down out of a clear sky, washing over Izuku in a tingling wave. His vision flared white for a moment and when he could see again, Amora... had shrunk. Wait. No. That didn't make any sense. Izuku looked down at himself, his eyes widening at what he found. He was huge. Amora had towered over him by easily twenty centimeters but his transformation had reversed that disparity, leaving him significantly taller than her. Letting out a low whistle, Amora took a step forward. "Well, this definitely brings back some old memories. How do you feel?"

"I feel... different. Powerful." Setting Stormbreaker down, Izuku ran his hands over his arms and then up across his chest. While he'd gained significant muscle mass in the past few months from cleaning up Dagobah Beach, he'd gone from decently fit to positively bulky in the transformation. Not to mention that it had come with a wardrobe change: he was now clad in a set of armor strikingly close to what he'd seen in the historical images of the original Thor. Jane's armor had obviously been different but summoned in the same way; was that something he could affect through visualization? Something to potentially play with on another day. Which wasn't to say that he didn't like the armor that he currently had. But... well, he might have been the third Thor but there was nothing to stop him from being his own Thor, was there? Returning his thoughts to the here and now, he looked up from his self-inspection and grinned widely at Amora. "Do you know a spell to make a mirror? Or should I go look at myself in the water?"

Amora let out a low chuckle at that, eldritch energy gathering around her hand as she made a series of gestures. A swirling circle spread outward as she gave one final flick, shaping itself into a long oval mirror with glowing yellowish-green edges. "Izuku, darling, this is me. Did you really think I didn't know a spell that would let me admire my own beauty upon demand?"

Snorting, Izuku bent down a little to get a better look at himself in the mirror. "Stupid of me, I know. Wow. I look like a real hero now. I'm practically All Might. I mean, look at these biceps." Straightening up, he turned to Amora and flexed his arms. "These things are probably bigger than my normal form's thighs. This is amazing. I feel like I could take on anything in this form. Maybe even some of All Might's greatest villains. Toxic Chainsaw and Goliath wouldn't stand a chance against me like this."

Amora closed the distance, reaching up to run her hands over his chest in the same way that she had a few minutes ago before his transformation. "You do look even more the part of a hero like this, don't you? If you were any less upstanding of a citizen, I could imagine you starting your career here and now. With your power, it's doubtful that anyone could stop you even if the populace wanted them to.But you wouldn't be you if you weren't moral and honest. It's grown on me, I suppose."

Nodding, Izuku reached up and took Amora's hands in his own, marveling at how they'd gone from essentially equals in hand size to hers enveloping hers. Given how flirtatious and affection Amora tended to be, it made him wonder idly if everything about this form was bigger... no! Bad Izuku! Shaking his head to clear it of his indecent thoughts, he shot her a brilliant smile. "U.A. High, here I come."

"Not for a few months, you're not. Which is plenty of time for you to retrain yourself to get used to fighting in this form. And perhaps hone some of the abilities that Jane never took the time to master. Given that you want to be an all-purpose hero instead of a strictly combat-oriented one, you'd do well to figure out how Thor's ability to sense energy worked. With it, he was impossible to hide from or sneak up on. I could see you using it to find people trapped in collapsed buildings or other natural disasters." As she spoke, Amora shifted from foot to foot impatiently, looking up at him and biting her lip as she finished with her thoughts. "Before you move on to that, though, would you happen to be in the mood to make out a bit? Because you look very attractive like that."

Izuku... wasn't exactly against that proposal.

* * *

Takeyama Yu frowned as she wandered back into her office, the collateral damage reports from her last heroic outing clutched in her hand. They were still going to turn a profit from the incident at the end of the day, but not nearly as much as they would have if she hadn't borne down and left a three hundred centimeter footprint in the pavement. If things kept up like they were, she might have to downsize to a smaller apartment in a less noteworthy neighborhood... or maybe accelerate her plans to take on sidekicks so she could get some additional revenue streams flowing.

Absorbed in her reading, Yu circled her desk and threw herself down into her chair, flipping from page to page as she did her best to absorb all the pertinent details. Granted she literally had someone whose job it was to keep track of these things and distill them down to the relevant facts for her... but if things kept up like they were, she might not have an assistant for much longer. Or an office for that matter. She frowned, lowering the papers so she could look down at her desk. It was a nice desk. She'd spent good money on it. Losing it was really going to suck.

Wait a minute.

Yu slowly ran her eyes across the desk to the person sitting on the opposite side of it, and then up from that person's lap to their face. There was someone in her office. When she'd just been meeting outside of it with her assistant. How did that work? Was she finally cracking under the pressure of running her own agency and starting to see things?

"Oh, I assure you, I'm very much real. I teleported in while you were meeting with your minion out there in the lobby."

Did her visitor have a mind-reading Quirk?

"No, you're mumbling things out loud instead of thinking them to yourself. It's one of my boyfriend's less endearing traits and it's even more annoying on you." Sitting back in her chair with a huff, the blonde girl tossed her head before bringing her hand up so she could rest her chin in her palm, fingers drumming against the side of her face. "You're lucky that you're the most photogenic gigantification quirk user in the area, I hope you realize that."

Blinking a few times, Yu slowly set the papers in her hand down on her desk before sitting back and mimicking the younger blonde's pose. Well, she looked younger. Given how tall she was, maybe it was a mistake to assume the girl was her junior... but Yu had precious little to go on at the moment. Time to correct that. "So, you clearly know who I am. Are you going to introduce yourself?"

The girl looked a bit surprised at that before glancing down at herself and letting out a rueful chuckle. "Ah yes, that's right, none of you mortals are supposed to recognize me in this form. That was the entire point of constructing a new persona. One moment." The girl waved her hand over her form, yellowish-green energy rippling over her body as she transformed into a slightly taller, even more curvaceous, and significantly more regal-looking adult woman in a very familiar green and gold outfit with an instantly recognizable tiara. "There. Is this better?"

"Holy shit, you're Amora the Enchantress. I cosplay as like, three different versions of you. There's this outfit, the battle armor that you wore a few times when you were fighting alongside Foster's Thor, and then I have this party girl version that I call Aspartyin Amora." Yu blushed faintly as she attempted to rein in her fangirling, and resist the urge to ask Amora to sign something for her... and maybe pose for a few pictures. She could already spot a few places where her 'classic' Amora cosplay was inaccurate and quality references would make fixing them easier. "So this is what most people feel like when they meet All Might. Wow. You're... an inspiration. I obviously didn't pattern my costume after you or anything but I've been trying to shape my public persona after you."

Amora looked a bit amused by that even as she shifted herself back into her teenage form. "I'd say that's humbling to hear but I don't have a single humble bone in my entire body. I will take it as the compliment that it's intended to be, though; imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Hopefully that feeling is mutual, because I think I'll be stealing your hairstyle." Reaching into her golden purse, the blonde pulled out a pair of vials and placed them on the desk: one full of some sort of red chemical, the other brimming with a blue fluid. "Speaking of imitation, though... I'd like to discuss a possible rebranding on your part."

Reaching forward, Yu picked up the vial of red liquid and brought it up to her face. It was definitely a fluid of some kind, but viscous and bordering on opaque. Not blood. Not anything she was familiar with, although that didn't say much given that chemistry was far from one of her strong suits. "I've been Mount Lady since I was a teenager so this is normally where I'd laugh someone out of my office. Seeing as how it's Amora the fucking Enchantress asking me... you've got my attention."

"Gushingly glad that you're willing to give me a chance." Amora brought her hands together and then drew them apart vertically, her magic crackling between her palms as she materialized an ethereal glowing likeness of helmet from the depths of hero history. Yu recognized it instantly; how could she not when Scott Lang and his daughter Cassie were the heroes that she patterned her fighting style after? "Pym Particles may have been bleeding edge biochemistry for you mere mortals, but to a passably intelligent Asgardian? Replicating them is child's play. Not that I'm said Asgardian but, well, people owe me favors. I've decided to collect. And so my offer is thus: dedicate yourself to reinventing yourself as the new Giant-Woman and the chairwoman of the Avengers Hero Agency, and I'll give you the means to expand your powers to heights that you've never imagined."

Yu set the red vial down next to its blue counterpart and stared at them consideringly. While she'd be lying if she claimed that she'd never wished that her power was a bit more flexible, she was also intimately familiar with her powers as they stood. Adding the ability to vary her giant size - and presumably shrink, seeing as how she was being offered both varieties of Pym Particle - would send her back to the drawing board as to how she fundamentally operated as a hero. At the same time? Could she really say no to a team up offer from her idol? To being one of the founders of the next generation of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes? "Throw in some help with my cosplay and I'm in."

"Ugh. You and Izuku are going to be insufferable together, I just know it."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Joe's Note:** As previously noted, Loki and Amora are getting a bit of a redesign for their high school debut and that will be covered in this chapter. We'll also be covering Izuku's first foray into U.A. High for the entrance exam and... that's about it actually. That's enough to be a chapter in and of itself. I seriously debated which of his future classmates that he might meet - especially Uraraka - and in what context while writing this chapter. After all, this isn't canon and so I don't want to just repeat the same things mindlessly with the only difference being that Izuku has a hammer strapped to his back. Where's the fun in that? At the same time, I obviously need to maintain a certain level of faithfulness to the source material or else I'll break my ability to adapt future chapters/episodes to my story. It's a delicate line to walk but hopefully I've managed to achieve it with this story.  
**Dedications & Thanks:** To Nicholas, Howard, Jade, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, Daniel, Clark, Adrien, erlking, ridillin, Haematite, Charles, Jacky, Edward, Andrew, Roofcrawler, Wil, PbookR, Samuel, Mikey, Beverly, Daniel, Charles, Crygon20, Subtle, Christopher, Stephen, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Joseph, Jason, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Marc, Ziryo, Chris, George, Koby, William, Devin, JJbelle, David, Gavin, TheTenthAncestor, Lookshy, Mauday, John, Roman, Warren, and Jess for sponsoring my work, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.
> 
> * * *

Izuku couldn't help but look back and forth at his surroundings as he strode through the gate and onto the hallowed grounds of U.A. High School. He was now walking in the same footsteps as greats like All Might himself... Endeavor... Best Jeanist. Over half of the current top twenty on the Hero Billboard Chart JP were alumnae of U.A. High. And soon - if all went according to plan - he'd be enrolled to follow in their footsteps.

Well, assuming that he did well enough on the exams to qualify for enrollment.

Which he wouldn't be able to do if Amora and Loki kept dawdling and made him late for the exams.

"Come on, come on! The exams start in fifteen minutes and we don't even know where we're going yet!" Turning to walk backward, Izuku bounced excitedly on his toes as he beckoned for his more subdued companions to pick up the pace. "I know this doesn't mean much to either of you but it's really important to me that I ace this exam. This will literally decide my entire future as a hero. I haven't applied for anywhere else, so if I don't make it in-"

"You say that as if your admission wasn't a foregone conclusion already." Amora rolled her eyes, reaching up to brush along the more abbreviated, headband-esque tiara that she was wearing with her Aldera Junior High uniform. Why she'd picked there of all places to borrow a uniform from, Izuku had no idea, but she certainly looked cute in it. Why she'd decided to adopt drill curls into her look, he also didn't know but they somehow managed to make her look even prettier than her straight hair did. "I did some checking around and the practical portion of the entrance exam is merely destroying some robots in a faux cityscape. If you aren't the highest scorer, I'll be extremely surprised."

Izuku shrugged as he continued walking backward, relying on his burgeoning skill at sensing electrical fields to dodge the person standing behind him. "The test could be different this year. Or the robots could be tougher than you think. There's no reason to assume that I'm going to get into U.A. High. Overconfidence can turn a person into their own worst enemy, you know."

Rolling her eyes, Loki looked up from her smartphone at that. She too looked different from what Izuku was used to seeing, although she'd opted to give herself a more dramatic makeover in preparation for attending U.A. than Amora had. Her skin was blue instead of its normal creamy complexion, she had a pair of stubby horns growing from her temples, and he could barely make out a pair of pointed ears as well. Like Amora, she was wearing an Aldera uniform for the day. It looked as cute on her as it did on Amora. Far cuter than any of his classmates, if he was being honest. "Not that either of us have to worry about the presence or quality - or lack thereof - of these robots. Support Course students have a different, more skills-oriented practical examination and Business Course students..." She trailed off, shooting a look over at Amora. "I have no idea how you're supposed to prove your legitimacy for the proctors. I have no doubt that you'll succeed, though."

Before Izuku could open his mouth to respond - because thanks to his research, he actually did know what Amora would be facing in terms of a practical examination - he let out an indignant squawk as he tripped over a loose paver and tipped over backward. With his hammer strapped to his back, there was no way for him to try and invoke Stormbreaker's inherent flight ability to catch himself. Resigning himself to his fate, Izuku closed his eyes as he fell back... only to feel something wrap around his chest and catch him. Opening his eyes, he saw two thin strands of... flesh? What the heck? "You okay? Sorry, I know my Quirk is a little weird but I figured it would be better than letting you concuss yourself on the sidewalk."

Izuku nodded rapidly as he regained his balance, drawing himself back up to his full height before turning around to face his savior. "Your Quirk isn't weird, it's awesome. And not just because it stopped me from getting hurt. Prehensile body parts are incredibly useful." Looking the purple-haired girl up and down, he blinked a few times as he realized exactly what part of her was prehensile: her earlobes. They were long and dangling as they rested against her shoulders, tipped with headphone jacks of all things. Not the most unusual Quirk that Izuku had ever witnessed, although it was pretty close. Then he managed to place her face and he gasped before smiling giddily. "You're Jiro Kyoka! I'm a huge fan of yours!"

"You... know who I am?" Jiro blushed faintly as she reached up, twirling one of her elongated earlobes around her finger. "I mean, it's obvious who you are. The hair, the hammer... you're the kid who's become the new Thor. But I wasn't expecting anyone to even recognize me, much less be a fan."

Pulling out his smartphone, Izuku unlocked it before opening up the Music app and scrolling down to his playlists. Opening one, he turned the phone to face her as he drew his finger back and forth along the list to show off the songs in it. "Are you kidding me? I think I've saved off pretty much everything that you've posted on SoundCloud. You're up to being like, half of my exercise playlist these days. Oh! You opened up requests for covers the other week. Did you see mine? 'Thunderstruck'?"

Jiro furrowed her brow in thought for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No, but I haven't had time to go through everything. Prepping for the exam and all. Bold of you to assume that I know two century old American rock, though."

"Uh, Jiro-san? You recognize the song off the top of your head. And like, half your covers are old American rock and alternative songs." Izuku grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Jiro nodded to concede his point. "Besides, it's kinda my theme these days. Thunder and lightning and all."

Before Jiro could respond, Amora cleared her throat, drawing Izuku's attention to the blonde as she tapped two fingers against her wrist. "Thunder and lightning and regrets are going to be your theme if we don't get moving soon."

Izuku's eyes went wide. "Oh shoot, the test!" Dashing forward, he grabbed Jiro's hand and shook it energetically. "It was awesome meeting you! Keep posting those awesome songs and good luck getting into U.A. High!" Then he slipped past her and began dashing for the front doors of the school, leaving his Asgardian companions behind. After all, he reasoned, they were grown adults who didn't actually need to go to school. If they failed the entrance exam, it wouldn't really change anything for them. For him, on the other hand?

His entire life started today.

* * *

"For all you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show today! Everybody say 'HEY'!"

Thrusting his fist into the air, Izuku shouted back. "**HEY!**"

Nobody else made a sound.

Izuku shrunk back into his seat in embarrassment even as Present Mic began roaring with laughter. "Finally, someone with a sense of excitement about being here. The rest of you are too refined. Let's try this again... today I'll be giving a quick presentation going over how the exam will work. ARE YOU READY?!" This time, Izuku wasn't the only person to shout back a response, even as Katsumi stayed silent as Izuku's right and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. "Better!"

Leaning to his side, Izuku elbowed Katsumi gently. "It's the Voice Hero, Present Mic! We listen to his show on the radio every week. How are you not excited right now?"

"Because he's a teacher here at U.A.? What are you going to do, geek out like this every time you have a class with him?" Katsumi peered up at him balefully before shaking her head. "That'd actually be just like you, Deku. Probably going to try and get Lunch Rush's autograph the first time we visit the cafeteria, too."

Rather than take offense at the blonde's caustic tone, Izuku just shrugged while grinning down at his friend. "I can't help it. Heroes are just so cool!"

"As it says in the application requirements, you listeners will be conducting ten minute mock urban battles after this! You can bring whatever you want with you." A box appeared on the screen behind Present Mic that read 'you are here' before lines expanded outward from it, forming a rainbow array of boxes labeled from A to G. "After the presentation, you'll head to the specified battle center, okay?"

Leaning over, Katsumi eyed the card in front of Izuku curiously. "They're splitting us up. Making sure we can't work with our friends, huh?"

Izuku checked his own card. Midoriya Izuku, Examinee Number 2234, Battle Center B. As opposed to Bakugo Katsumi, Examinee Number 2233, who was headed to Battle Center A. "Looks like it. Our examinee numbers are consecutive but we're assigned to different battle centers. Not that you'd work with anyone even if you could."

"Mark it on the calendar: for once in your life, you're not wrong."

"You should be glad we're not in the same battle center. You wouldn't stand a chance if you had to go up against me head-to-head."

"Fuck you, Deku."

"Amora would have a problem with that. A big one."

"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle center." An image of a densely built city block appeared over Present Mic's head as he spoke, along with shadowy outlines of three different robotic villains. So Amora's intel was accurate. Nice. Stormbreaker and the lightning it could call would make short work of them. "You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty. Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to earn points by immobilizing the faux villains. Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!"

Before Present Mic could continue with his presentation, a blue-haired boy bolted upright out of his seat. "May I ask a question?" Izuku snorted; technically, he'd already done so by interrupting to ask if he could ask something. "On the printout we received, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then U.A. - the most prominent school in Japan - should be ashamed of that foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes. In addition..." Without even waiting for an answer, the boy whirled around to point at... Izuku and Katsumi? "You over there with the curly hair and your blonde girlfriend! You've been talking this whole time. It's distracting. If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"

Izuku opened his mouth to respond, before thinking better of it and sitting back as Katsumi hopped to her feet, her palms crackling ominously as she stared down at the boy. "The fuck you say, you fucking extra? First of all, Deku's not my anything. Second of all, if a little bit of talking is enough to throw you off your game, then maybe you don't have what it takes to become a hero."

"Woah, okay, save that energy for the exam, little listener! Now, Examinee Number 7111, thanks for the great message." Present Mic offered the irritated blue-haired boy a thumbs up before reaching down to tap at his computer, changing the screen behind him. "The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. That guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every battle center: an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it, either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it."

"Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption." 7111 bowed deeply before retaking his seat, shooting one last look back over his shoulder at Izuku and Katsumi before returning his attention to Present Mic.

Present Mic waved to them energetically before stepping out from behind his podium. "That's all from me! Finally, I'll give you listeners a present: our school motto! The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said 'A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes'. Go beyond. PLUS ULTRA!"

* * *

Climbing off the bus in front of Battle Center B, Izuku looked around with wide and excited eyes as his fellow examinees prepared themselves for the impending exam. There were just so many interesting quirks to be seen! There was a tall, shirtless boy with a mask on who looked to have some level of strength enhancing quirk based on how muscular he was. Nothing that could compare to Izuku's physique as Thor, but impressive none the less. The annoying blue-haired boy from the presentation was present as well, with visible exhaust pipes extending out of the backs of his calves. There was an orange-haired girl who had fists easily as big as Izuku's torso - even as Thor - and a pink-skinned... wait, he recognized that pink-skinned girl! "Ashido-san! Hey, Ashido-san!"

Ashido perked up at the sound of her name, turning to face Midoriya. Then her eyes went wide as he came bounding over to greet her, holding her hands up defensively. "Look, if this is about those pics I sent your girlfriend then-"

Stumbling to a stop, Izuku arched an eyebrow curiously. "...what pictures?"

"What pictures? Exactly!" Ashido let out a nervous titter of laughter before gesturing to the giant doors behind them. "So, I'd ask if you were ready for the exam but you're Thor. You were like, born ready for this. Just make sure you leave a few for the rest of us, huh? We want to get into U.A. too, you know."

Chuckling, Izuku reached behind his back and drew Stormbreaker from the makeshift sling that he carried the weapon in most of the time. A small part of him wished that he'd inherited Mjölnir instead; that version of Thor's hammer was small enough to hang from the average person's belt. Not that he didn't want Stormbreaker, because obviously he did. It was just a bit... ungainly... sometimes. "The battle center is a giant square, right? If I were you, I'd head straight in and then hang a left or a right. I'm going to go straight up the middle until I hit the end and then start working my way backward. That'll give you the best chance of finding robots that I haven't already destroyed."

Ashido perked up at that, offering him a thumbs up. "Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely do that. And now that you're not kidnapping me or anything, you're actually kinda cute too. And nice. Want me to loop you in on what I'm sending to Amora-chan?"

Obviously, his answer was going to be in the affirmative. Izuku had a sneaking suspicion as to what kind of pictures the two of them had been exchanging as of late, and he was starting to grow more comfortable interacting with women. And with Amora's assertions that they should find a girlfriend or two to join them. Before he could verbalize his thoughts, though, Present Mic's voice broke in. "Okay, start!" Silence descended on the chattering teenagers as they all looked at each other uncertainly. "What's wrong? There are no countdowns in real fights! Run, run! The die has been cast, you know!"

Whirling around, Izuku raised Stormbreaker high as he focused on transforming into his more heroic state. While it might not be necessary for opponents that the average - so to speak - Quirked teenager could handle, he was leaving nothing to chance. "**FOR ASGARD!**"


End file.
